The Last Spartan
by DinoJake
Summary: An AU fic in which the Halo and ME universes share the same galaxy. After a well deserved rest in Cryo-Sleep, Master Chief finally awakens...to a whole new galaxy.
1. Prologue

0012 Hours, December 12th, 2552

An Unknown Area of Space

"Chief? Can you hear me?"

In response, Chief turned on his helmet's headlights, illuminating the darkness around him. "I thought I'd lost you too." Cortana sighed in relief. Master Chief took a look around the interior of the _Forward Unto Dawn_...or rather what was left of her. He noted that, from the way he and various other debris were floating, that artificial gravity was offline, and a look to his left showed why. He looked in that direction and saw stars, space, and no glass to separate him from it.

"What happened?" he asked as he unconsciously grabbed his MA5C assault rifle and placed it on his back. He 'swam' towards the gap and looked out into the space outside.

"I'm not sure." Cortana answered. "When Halo fired, it shook itself to pieces. Did a number on the Ark. The portal couldn't sustain itself. We made it through just as it collapsed."

The AI paused. "Well...some of us made it." she added with a hint of sorrow in her tone. Master Chief looked around. The rear half of the _Forward Unto Dawn_ was adrift in space. They seemed to be near a nebulae of some kind, but it wasn't a nebulae the Chief recognized. He quietly sighed as he floated back into the interior of the ship. In a situation like this, there was really only one thing he could do.

"But you did it." Cortana added as her Spartan floated towards where the cryo-chamber, hoping to improve his apparently sullen mood. "Truth and the Covenant. The Flood. It's finished."

Chief thought back to the Battle of Installation 00. How the Arbiter killed truth, and how Halo fired, effectively ending the threat of the Flood once and for all. He also recalled that a lot of good men died on the Ark, including Sergeant-Major Avery Johnson, someone whom Chief considered a close friend. A lot of good men died in a lot of places for the last twenty-seven years in this war. But there was some solace to be had. The war has ended, and Humanity was ultimately the victor. "It's finished." the Chief agreed.

He arrived in the cryo chamber and floated up to an AI terminal. He took out Cortana's chip and plugged her into the terminal, allowing her holographic image to appear. The two looked at one another and exchanged smiles. Somehow, Cortana just knew when Chief was smiling, even though it was impossible to really tell. He floated over to the weapons rack and shelved his rifle properly.

"I'll drop a beacon." Cortana said. "But it'll be a while before anyone finds us. Years even." Chief paused, then a nod to show acknowledgement. He climbed into the cryo-pod and settled in.

"I'll miss you." Cortana added as the door to the pod began to close.

"Wake me. When you need me." Chief replied.

As the door closed and sealed itself, Chief began to feel the effects of Cryo-sleep take hold. This wouldn't be the first 'cryo-nap' he took, so he knew how it worked. He just laid back, closed his eyes, and let his mind wander as the machine preserved him. Before unconsciousness took him, a thought popped into the Spartan's head; what would happen once he was found? He could only assume the war was over now. Obviously, the UNSC will have some rebuilding to do, which would prove to be a monumental task. But Chief questioned if there would still be a place for soldiers. If there would still be a place for Spartans. The thought disappeared from his mind as quickly as it appeared. Of course there would still be a place for soldiers. There will always be a place for soldiers. And with that, he let the realm of sleep take him. It was a rest well-earned.

Cortana 'stood' there, so to speak, as she took a moment to analyze her current situation. She and Chief were stranded in God-only-knows where, and it would likely be several years before they were found. This worried Cortana. Her operating cycle had an expiration date and she knew it. So there was only one answer; data storage.

Smart AI's have the ability to store themselves on a hard drive, ceasing all operation until re-activated. It's the closest thing they have to cryo-sleep and was a good way to delay the effects of rampancy. She then began preparing procedures to download herself into the terminal's hard drive. Regardless of the amount of time between now and whenever they get rescued, it would be but an instant to Cortana. She silently vowed that when the Chief eventually does wake up, she'll be there to greet him. With a few bloops and bleeps, the hard drive accepted her, and her holographic figure disappeared.

Two people, one a super-soldier, the other an artificial intelligence, slept. Adrift in space on a derelict ship.

In the end, Cortana was right. It would be years before anyone found them. Many, many years in fact. However, she was only half-right about the fight being finished. For everything she and the Chief did; stopping Halo and the Ark, defeating the Flood and the Covenant, it was all just practice for when they went up against the TRUE threat to all sentient life in the galaxy.

This fight was finished. But a whole new fight would soon begin


	2. Rude Awakening

**God, I feel stupid. Was going to include a message like this in the first chapter, but I effed it up. Still getting the hang of how the interface works.**

**Anyway, long time author, first time poster. This is what I'm hoping will be an epic saga of how the Halo and Mass Effect universes collide. Yeah, I know. Not the most original idea for a crossover, but I'd appreciated it if you'd read on regardless and draw your conclusions from that.**

**Okay, second chapter. Here we go.**

**...**

0832 Hours, February 16th, 2683

Undisclosed Location in the Ismar Frontier

...

"Captain Currick?" the voice crackled through the radio. "We've detected something strange during our initial survey, sir."

The captain of the Turian exploration vessel _Akterran_ clicked away the document he was currently examining and pressed another button on the holographic screen. "What have you detected?" he asked.

"We're not sure, sir." The man on the other hand replied. "There's something in orbit around the planet. Whatever it is, it's big. Nearly two-thirds the size of a dreadnought. Orders, sir?"

Currick's mandibles flexed as he took a moment to think. Then, he turned back to the screen. "Take us in so we can have a closer look. I'm on my way to the CIC now."

"As you wish, sir." the man on the other end replied before cutting the connection. Currick got up out of his chair and went to his personal goren machine. Goren was a popular beverage in Turian space, due to its energetic properties, essentially the Turian equivalent of coffee. After refilling his mug, he left his personal quarters and made his way to the CIC.

The _Akterran_ was just one of several exploration vessels whose purpose was to chart the Ismar Frontier, one of the wilder and less-explored parts of the galaxy. His ship was about the size of a military frigate, but not quite as well armed. Exploration was its primary objective after all. Still, Currick had his men kept a wary eye out. They were flirting with the border between Citadel Space and the Terminus Systems, and that meant the ship could be very vulnerable to pirates, mercenaries, or anyone else looking to make a few thousand credits off their destruction.

Still, at least he didn't have to worry about Humans. When the 314 races were inducted into Citadel space, it caused some...tension to the say the least. After breaking out of the Forerunner Cluster, the 314 races all began to scramble over each other to lay claim to their own pieces of the Attican Traverse. The Humans were by far the worst offenders, colonizing planets at a rate ten times as fast as the other races. Mind you, Currick didn't think that Humans were bad per se'. He just wondered what the big rush was. He recalled a human phrase saying 'It's always good to stop and smell the roses once in a while.' Currick found it hard to believe the Humans came up with that saying, seeing as their entire species seems to be on a goren overdose.

He climbed up the steps and arrived on the CIC deck. The hologram was currently showing a holographic image of the planet they were orbiting, a fairly standard gas giant with no truly outstanding qualities. It'll likely end up as a helium-3 mining station one day, if not a refueling station for passing ships. One of the CIC operators turned to his captain and gave the Turian salute, a raised fist. The captain nodded, acknowledging the salute, and the operator continued.

"We've just closed in, sir." he reported. "3-D imaging is almost done and-"

He was interrupted by a beeping noise given off by his console. "Correction. It IS done. Bringing up the image now." he said as he pushed some buttons on the computer console. Currick took a sip from his drink as the hologram zoomed in on an object currently orbiting the gas giant. From the looks of it, it was a derelict ship of some kind. Currick observed it for a moment, trying to discern the ship's make and model. He squinted and concentrated harder when his mind gave no immediate answer.

"What am I looking at here?" he asked.

"I would say a derelict ship of some sort." the operator answered.

"Your grasp of the obvious is astounding." Currick sarcastically replied. "Do a search on all vessels in the Hierarchy database. Maybe this is one of the exploration vessels that fell prey to those pirate attacks." Currick ordered, hoping he was wrong.

"Searching..." the operator said as he pressed more buttons. He shook his head. "Nothing."

"Extend the search to all council race vessels." he ordered before taking another sip.

"Still nothing." the operator reported after doing the search. Currick's mandibles twitched in mild annoyance. It was too early in the morning for him to be dealing with something like this.

"Extend the search to all races vessels. Even non-citadel ones. If that doesn't give us a hit, nothing will." he ordered.

The operator pressed some buttons, then waited on a reply. This search would take longer since it involved searching through more databanks.

"Looks like it got cut clean in half." One of the other operators commented.

"Impossible. Nothing can do that." another replied.

"Hey, the eyes don't lie. The evidence is floating right there. I'm starting to think coming to this part of the frontier was a bad idea."

"What, you think there's a giant space monster that cuts ships in half around here? You watch too many sci-fi horror vids."

"Cut the chatter over there!" Currick barked. "I haven't had anywhere NEAR as much goren yet to tolerate chatter!"

"Sorry sir!"

"Won't happen again!"

Captain Currick's pre-goren temper was legendary on board the _Akterran._

The console beeped, indicating it got a hit. The operator looked at it. Then shook his head. "That can't be right." he muttered before running the search again. A few more moments, the computer beeped, and he got the same results. "Sir, I have a hit...but you're not going to believe it."

"Give me a minute." Currick said as he downed the last of his goren, then set the empty mug on the console deck. "Alright, lay it on me."

"It's Human-made, sir."

Currick paused, then looked back at the shipwreck floating in orbit around the planet. "Doesn't look like any Human ship I've ever seen." he commented.

"And there's a reason for that." The operator said before gulping, dreading his captain's undoubtedly furious response. "According to the Alliance Database, It's listed as a UNSC-Frigate...whose production was ceased roughly a century ago."

Currick paused at that. "Impossible." he said incredulously. "Humans and the other 314 races didn't even know about Mass Relays until only thirty years ago. There's no way a human-made ship from that time period can be here, so far away from Earth."

"Maybe it was stolen from a human museum by pirates or something?" one of the other operators suggested.

"Why would pirates steal a ship from a museum and drag it all the way here, only to dump half of it? That doesn't seem very cost-effective to me." one of the other operators noted.

"Sir? How shall we proceed?"

Captain Currick paused in response as he weighed the possibilities of how this ancient human ship got here and what he should do about it. He then sighed in defeat, knowing the only viable option here is one that he would not necessarily enjoy. He turned to the operator.

"Prep the communications room and get me a signal with the Human Embassy on the Citadel." Currick ordered. "Something tells me they'll want to know about this."

...

Within a couple of days, the fifth fleet of the Human Systems Alliance had the whole star system all but shut down. Carriers orbiting the planet, cruisers constantly patrolling the outer reaches of the system, frigates scanning the other planets for related items of interest, basically you couldn't steer your ship anywhere without bumping into an Alliance vessel.

This was why Captain Currick didn't really want to contact the humans. When they take over a given area, they _take over a given area._

His ship and crew were allowed to stay, however. Or rather ordered to by the current head of the fleet, Admiral Stephen Hackett. Apparently, he wanted the ship that originally made this discovery to take an active part in the investigation of this derelict ship. He even allowed several Turian frigates to help guard the ship, mostly as a way of avoiding an inter-species incident. Tensions were still high between Humans and Turians even over twenty years after the First-Contact War, so holding a lone Turian exploration vessel for questioning could come across to some in the Hierarchy as a hostage-like situation. Currick was just glad to have some Turian ships around so he wouldn't feel so surrounded. Plus, so many military vessels in one place is sure to dissuade any pirate attacks.

He waited outside the airlock as his ship was boarded with one of the Dreadnoughts, the SSV _Mt. Everest. _The door opened and he saw about half a dozen humans board the ship, two naval officers and four armed marine escorts. The first officer was rather dark-skinned with very short black hair. Actually, his hair was more like a stubble, and he wore a blue suit. The second officer wore a white suit and had several stars on his jacket, certainly more than on the first officer's jacket, indicating he was of a higher rank. His was a lighter skin-tone and they both seemed to be of similar age. The white-coated one approached Currick and shook his hand.

"Admiral Stephen Hackett, fifth fleet. This is my associate, Captain David Anderson." he introduced.

"Captain Kyran Currick. Pleased to meet you both." the Turian said as he shook the hands of both officers, trying to be as civil as he can. "Not that I'm complaining Admiral, but is an entire fleet really necessary?"

"A hundred-year old ship in a place it shouldn't be tends to attract a lot of attention." Hackett elaborated. "Brass insisted on it. They made it very clear that they didn't want ANY public ships to go in or out of this system."

"What can you tell us about this derelict ship?" Anderson asked.

"We found it while we were charting this system." Currick replied. "We were scanning this planet when we detected it in orbit. Any idea how it got here?"

"Officially, that's classified." Hackett replied.

"And unofficially?" Currick inquired.

"We're baffled. Your guess is as good as ours." Hackett added.

"We're prepping some shuttles to go in and have a closer look. Maybe you'd like to join us?" Anderson offered.

"Sure. Why not?" Currick replied with a shrug. Now that this ship had garnered such attention, he was even more curious about its origins.

...

There wasn't much space inside the UT-47 Kodiak Drop Shuttle, but since it only carried four passengers, it was wasn't so bad. These shuttles would often be seen carrying over twice that number into and out of battle. The occupants were Currick, Anderson, Hackett, and the Turian Commodore Haylis Krick, the leader of the small band of Turian frigates sent to oversee the inspection of Captain Currick's discovery. Currick was starting to get excited, seeing how such high-ranking officers had taken interest in what he found. If he played his cards right, his name could easily go down in the history vids.

The shuttle cruised closer to the old ship, quick enough to satisfy the limited patience of the passengers, but slow enough to ensure a smooth ride. They began noticing dozens of other shuttles cruising and floating around the ship, likely conducting scans to find out what it was made of, how old it was, and so on and so forth. They came up on the side of the ship where the name was printed in big white letters. The mouths of Hackett and Anderson hung open.

"My God..." Hackett said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It can't be." Captain Anderson stood up and walked up to the window to get a closer look. "T-there's no way it could be here." Hackett further stuttered.

"And yet here it is." Anderson said. "The _Forward Unto Dawn._"

"But how?" Hackett asked.

"According to the archives, that portal was unstable, what with the Halo destroying itself and the Ark. Some physicists thought that, rather than be destroyed, it could've ended up anywhere in the galaxy. Apparently, it ended up here." Anderson answered.

"I'm sorry, we're a little lost here." Commodore Krick interrupted. "Is this '_Forward Unto Dawn_' a ship of some significance?"

"You have no idea." Hackett answered. Anderson turned from the window to Currick with a wide grin.

"Captain Currick, you have just discovered the long lost tomb of humanity's greatest hero." Anderson triumphantly stated.

...

After discerning the ship's identity, Admiral Hackett wasted no time in getting exploration teams together. The following hour was positively abuzz with activity. Hackett reported the finding to Alliance Command, and after they got over the initial shock and disbelief, ordered Hackett to send a team on board the derelict vessel and retrieve the remains of John-117, aka Master Chief, aka the greatest hero in Human history. Once his remains were retrieved, they would be brought to Earth, where he would get a proper funeral, the one he always deserved.

Anderson didn't bother waiting on Hackett's orders, knowing that they'd be going aboard anyway. He was already getting a team of marines prepped for the assignment. Commodore Krick offered to help the Humans search for the Chief's body. Hackett contacted Alliance Command for permission to allow the Turians to assist, and they approved.

The kodiak shuttle zoomed towards the derelict craft, landing in one of the many openings, the edges of the metal looking to have melted, but have long since cooled. The shuttle's doors opened and about half a dozen Alliance marines popped out, floating at first, but then their magnetic boots kicked in, allowing them to walk across the floor as though there was gravity. They all had their assault rifles out, ready to fire. It was highly unlikely they would encounter hostiles on a recovery mission, but one could never be too careful.

"Clear." the lead marine said. With that, the last figure stepped out of the shuttle, wearing a space suit, and not having much on him in the way of firearms than a Razer MK-III pistol. The figure took a look around, then put two fingers on the side of his helmet.

"All teams, check in." Anderson said.

"Team Alpha, standing by."

"Team Bravo, standing by."

"Team Charlie, standing by."

"Team Delta, standing by."

"Team Echo, standing by."

"Team Foxtrot, standing by."

"Roger that. We're starting now." Anderson clicked off all channels and looked to his team of marines. "Alright, Team Echo. We've got six other teams of marines scouring the ship along with three teams of Turian marines. Let's find the Chief and bring him home."

"Alright, boys. Let's move." the team leader said. The marines proceeded forward into the deep interior of the _Dawn_, Captain Anderson following close behind.

The ship's interior was dark, for one thing. Course, given that power was completely offline, that was to be expected. He also noted how eerie and surreal it was, not only seeing so much junk just floating around, but seeing how well preserved it was. He saw the distinct shape of an M6 Magnum pistol floating around. He grabbed it and marveled at how it still looked new. He's seen M6 pistols like these before, but they were in antique gun shows, most of them old and rusted. What he held in his hand was no replica, but the real deal, practically fresh from the assembly line.

"Anderson, are you there? It's Currick." the Turian's voice came through Anderson's audio receptors, snapping him back to reality.

"What is it, Currick? Found anything?" Anderson asked.

"No sign of this 'Master Chief' if that's what your asking." Currick replied. "Me and 3rd squad are in the engine room right now. These the old slipspace engines?"

"Yes." Anderson answered.

"...They're not active, are they?" Currick asked. "I don't want to get sucked into another dimension."

Anderson sighed. "Relax, Captain. They're offline, you've got nothing to worry about." he explained. Ever since the Pheiros incident of 2667, Turians and other Council races have been extremely distrustful of slipspace technology.

The search continued for the next hour or so. Aside from getting to see 26th century tech up close and undamaged, nothing very exciting happened. Anderson was starting to wonder if they'd ever find the Chief. "This is Team Bravo. You reading' me, Team Echo?"

"Team Echo here, go ahead." Echo's leader said. Anderson listened intently, hoping Bravo found something.

"I think we've found him, guys." the marine said. "We've found the Chief."

"Where is he?" Anderson quickly asked.

"We found him in a cryo-pod sir. We'll send the coordinates to all teams and we'll rendezvous there. Bravo out." were the last words before the marine signed off. Anderson mentally scolded himself for not checking the cryo-pod chambers sooner. Chief was adrift in space. Of COURSE he would go there first. After that bit of self-discipline, he, along with everyone else on the ship, made their way to the pod chamber.

...

There he was. Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Or simply 'Chief' as he was often called. Inside the pod, his Mjonir MK-VI armor still brandishing fresh scars from the Battle of the Ark. For the Humans, it was a near-religious experience, to be in the presence of the Chief's body. For many of them, he was the reason they joined the Alliance. For the Turians, it was awe-inspiring and even a little frightening, having never seen a human like Chief before.

"By the Spirits..." Currick breathed. "When you said he was a super-soldier, you sure weren't kidding. He's the size of a Krogan." Anderson had given Currick a quick history lesson about Master Chief and the rest of the spartans while they were prepping for this expedition, how they were nigh-immortal soldiers who were the saviors of humanity during the Human-Covenant war. Though Anderson seemed to have forgotten the one detail about how most spartans like Chief are usually around seven feet tall and weigh in at roughly a half-ton when fully armored.

"He's not just bigger." Anderson began. "But he's also stronger and faster than the average human."

"And if you believe some stories, luckier." a marine quipped.

"So what happened?" Currick asked. "If all spartans were as good as the Chief, why was the Spartan program shut down?"

"Keep in mind that the Spartans were born out of necessity, Currick." Anderson explained. "First to enforce order throughout the outer colonies in order to avert a civil war, then to serve as special forces when the Covenant was on our doorstep. When the war ended, both the Covenant and the Insurrectionists were no longer considered threats, the former splintering and the latter having been wiped out entirely when the Covenant attacked the outer colonies."

"After that, the UNSC shifted focus from fighting for its survival to rebuilding all that was lost in the war. As you can imagine, Spartans aren't cheap to create. So the UNSC leaders thought it wiser to invest all their resources into rebuilding and re-colonizing all of our destroyed worlds instead of in super-soldiers that we no longer needed."

"I see..." Currick said as he took another look at the massive human in the pod.

"Besides, we couldn't make more spartans now even if we did need them again. The files pertaining to the SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures were destroyed when CASTLE Base on Reach was." Anderson further elaborated.

The captain turned back to the pod, and paused for a moment. He then walked up to it and took a long look inside at the motionless SPARTAN-II within. "He must've climbed in here after dropping a distress beacon, hoping he'd be found." he said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Been in this cryo-pod ever since." he sighed. The Chief was a hero. If it wasn't for him, every sentient race in the Forerunner Cluster, possibly even the galaxy, would be dead right now. He deserved a better end than this. A moment of silence fell over the room, honoring the Chief for all he had done for his species.

"Alright." Anderson said as the moment of silence passed. "Let's see if we can't unhook this pod. It's time this hero came home. Michaels, think you can do it?"

"Sure." Cpl. Timothy Michaels said. He was his squad's tech expert, so he definitely knew his way around machines. He walked up to the pod and his omni-tool lit up. "The ship's systems aren't based on Prothean tech, but they ARE very primitive. Hacking the cryo-pod shouldn't be too hard..."

After about thirty seconds of continuously pressing buttons on his omni-tool; "Got it. I'm in." he said. He then pressed a few more buttons. "Okay, now I just need to find the..."

He paused, his sentence stopping dead in its tracks. Anderson turned to the tech expert. "Need to find the what?" he asked.

"That can't be right." Michaels stated while shaking his head. He pressed a few more buttons, then paused again. "Holy crap..."

"What? Is something wrong?" Anderson pressed, becoming more and more concerned.

"Uh...I think that depends on what your definition of 'wrong' is, sir." Michaels answered. He looked up from his omni-tool and looked at the captain square in the eye. "He's still alive."

A moment of shocked silence took the room for a few seconds. Then, Anderson took it back. "What do you mean alive?" he asked.

"According to my omni-tool, all of Chief's vital signs are still good." the tech replied.

"Let me see that." Anderson said as he walked up to the tech. He looked over Michaels' shoulder. Sure enough, there on the omni-tool's holographic screen was a series of pulsing lines, all indicating that the Chief is still alive and well.

"I don't believe it." Anderson said in disbelief. "I mean, Cryo-Sleep does do a good job preserving the human body but...130 years?"

"Guess your marine was right." Currick added. "He IS a lucky one."

"What do we do now, sir?" Michaels asked. Anderson paused in thought. The intent of this mission was to retrieve Chief's remains and ship them off to Earth so a memorial could be built. At the very least, they could've taken some things from the ship to the museum in New Mombassa. But the Master Chief still alive in his cryo-pod? That was the last thing Anderson was prepared for. Needless to say, it made the situation a little more complicated.

"Sir, I've found something." said another tech expert. He was kneeling at what looked like a terminal of some kind, less than ten feet away from the chief. He was tapping away at his omni-tool, his vision frequently switching between it and the terminal.

"What is it?" Anderson asked as he approached.

"It's a data terminal of some kind." the other tech replied.

"Can you get anything from it?" Anderson asked. Now that the situation had changed, he wanted to know every last detail he could. He didn't want any more curve balls thrown at him and more info couldn't hurt.

"Maybe..." the tech said as he tapped away on the omni-tool. The omni-tool ran on element zero technology, while the computers on this ship don't. Using an omni-tool to lift data from the databanks of a UNSC ship was kind of like getting a software product made by one company to co-operate with another from a different company. It wasn't impossible, just difficult. Thankfully, it was nothing a skilled hacker couldn't handle as only five minutes at most went by before the tech said; "Okay, I'm in. Let's see what we got here..."

He tapped a few more keys on the omni-tool as some interesting displays popped up on the screen. "Okay, I think we got something. Data storage program, from the looks of it. Maybe it can shed some light here..."

Turned out, that program was storing data alright. Just not the kind of data anyone was expecting.

After a few more taps from the omni-tool, the holographic light on top of the terminal lit up, and a blue feminine figure appeared. She was about a foot in height, had short hair, and seemed to wear a body suit of some kind. She smiled upon seeing the startled tech expert.

"Oh good. Rescue." she commented in a rather cheerful tone.

The room fell deadly silent, something that did not go unnoticed by the holographic woman. "What?" she asked. Anderson took a step forward. He didn't want to ask this question, knowing what the answer was and that it was going to make things even more complicated. But he had little other choice.

"Are you...Cortana?" he asked.

The hologram smiled as she stood before the captain, puffing her chest out with pride. "UNSC Artificial Intelligence serial number CTN 0452-9. At your service."

"Artificial Intelligence?" Currick asked. "You mean an AI? As in...you're self-aware?"

"More or less." Cortana replied with a shrug. Currick stood there flabbergasted for a moment, then shook his head in disapproval.

"Krick is going to frickin' kill me when he finds out about this..." he muttered.

It was then that Cortana realized that something was amiss. She didn't notice anything unusual about Currick at first, mostly due to poor lighting in the room. But as she looked closer, she saw some things about him that were off. The three-fingered hands, the unusual looking helmet, and the impossibly tiny waist. Definitely not human. And, more curiously, definitely not Covenant, either.

She took a look around at the humans in the room. Rather than wearing the modified ODST uniforms typical of space troopers (soldiers trained for zero-G missions), they wore what looked more like skin-tight uniforms and their helmets looked nothing like the original ODST. Cortana knew that it would probably be a few years and that she should have foreseen some degree of change in the uniform. But this was extreme. Combined with the presence of an undocumented alien species, there was only one conclusion the AI could logically draw. She turned to Captain Anderson.

"Chief and I have been here a while, haven't we?" she asked.

"Yes." Anderson answered with a nod. What else could he say?

Cortana paused, processing the new data. "Don't sugar-coat it. How long?" the AI braced herself for the worst.

"To put it bluntly, well over a century." Anderson replied.

"131 years, to be exact." Michaels added.

Not since the revelations of Halo had Cortana been so shocked. Over a century? Was it even possible to be in storage that long and still be operational? Cortana ran a quick self-diagnostic, worried that something might've become corrupted, ignoring the worried mutterings of the new aliens. The AI sighed in relief, seeing that there was nothing wrong with her. Her concerns than focused to her spartan.

"Is Chief alright?" she asked.

"According to my tech expert, his life signs are still stable." Anderson answered. Cortana accessed the computer in Chief's pod to confirm. True to the stranger's word, the Chief was still stable. She turned to the Captain, viewing that there was now only one thing left to do.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Wake him up." she said.

Anderson was actually taken aback by this. "Er...well..."

"Weeeellll?" Cortana asked, not liking where this conversation was going.

"We came on board this ship looking for the Chief's _remains._" Currick intervened. "We thought that after over a century in cryo-sleep he'd be dead. While it's nice to see he's not...it complicates things a little." Anderson breathed a sigh of relief. He now owes Currick a beer for that one.

"Well, you can't just leave him here." Cortana pointed out.

"We don't plan to." Anderson replied. Cortana turned to him, glaring daggers at the captain. He sighed in defeat. "We just need to figure out the right way to go about this. I'll contact my superior and inform him of the situation. We'll play it out from there. Excuse me."

And with that, he left the room and went off into one of the vast armories of the ship, leaving the rest of the Humans and Turians alone with the AI. Cortana scrutinized the aliens just as they scrutinized her.

"So." she said finally. "New aliens, huh? Not Covenant, I hope."

"No. Not Covenant. We're called Turians." Currick responded. "Officially, we're allies of humanity."

"And unofficially?" Cortana asked in a suspicious tone.

"Well...there's always some degree of tension in inter-species affairs. Some are more severe than others." Currick answered as he rubbed the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable with having a conversation with an AI. The rest of the Turians were nervous as well, worried about just what exactly this AI was capable of.

"You don't know the half of it." Cortana stated. Currick did the Turian equivalent of a cringe just then. He knew about how Humanity was nearly wiped out by the Covenant, during what was now called the Human-Covenant War. Considering that Cortana is fresh out of that time period, it only made sense that it would be a sore point with her...and with Chief too, now that he thought about it. He also thought about how Anderson told him how a Spartan-II could lift three times their body weight, which made Currick swallow in a suddenly dry throat when he thought about what Chief would be like if he ever got angry.

Meanwhile, as Cortana was sizing up the Turians, Captain Anderson had been filling in Admiral Hackett on the recent revelations. Hackett paused in disbelief.

"So let me get this straight." he began at last. "Both Chief and Cortana are still alive?"

"Cortana seems to be fully operational. Doesn't seem rampant." Anderson said. "Chief is still in cryo-sleep. All his vital signs are stable at the moment. But I don't want to do anything without your say-so."

There was a pause on Hackett's end. Understandable. It was a lot to take in. "Well, this is quite the dilemma. We can't just leave him there, but we can't just wake him up either."

"He IS a spartan, admiral. He's the symbol of the best that humanity has to offer. It's a hard thing to just let lie on the shelf." Anderson commented.

"I know. If it weren't for the spartans, humanity would be extinct right now." Hackett admitted. "But the war's been over for well over a century now. What are we supposed to do with a SPARTAN-II in this day and age?"

That's when a thought crossed Anderson's mind. A wild, ludicrous thought that he knew didn't have a mouse's chance in the presence of a starving varren. But, for one reason or another, he shared this thought with Hackett. The admiral was flabbergasted.

"You can't be serious." he said. "How do you think Ambassador Udina's going to react when I pitch THAT idea to him?"

"My guess; same way we did." Anderson explained. "He'll be shocked at first, but the more he thinks about it, the more he'll like the idea I think."

Hackett paused again, this time out of thought instead of shock. "Chief would be a valuable asset." he admitted. "He definitely earned the title of humanity's greatest hero. Defeated the Covenant and the Flood."

"He's the only reason any Human is still alive." Anderson added.

"Udina can't question his courage, that's for certain." Hackett stated. "Are we sure about this?"

"Humanity needs a hero." Anderson said resolutely. "Chief's the best we've got. Unless you can think of a better candidate, I say we do it."

Another pause. Then; "I'll make the call. I'll be labeled crazy for it, but it's not like there's a rule against it. In the mean time, you know what to do."

"Roger that. Anderson out." the captain said. With that, he re-entered the pod chamber. Whatever conversation Cortana was having with everyone else ended right then and there. The AI looked at Anderson expectantly.

"I've just gone over it with my superior, Admiral Hackett." Anderson stated. "And he seems to be all for the idea." He then turned to Michaels. "Wake him up."

The tech expert was taken aback. He looked around, unsure. "What, you mean right here, right now?"

"No time like the present." Anderson said. Cortana was smiling ear to virtual ear.

"About time." the AI commented.

"Are you sure you want us to do this?" Currick inquired as he approached the AI. "If the Chief wakes up, he'll be waking up to a galaxy that's very different from the one he knew."

"I've seen him survive grenade explosions, plasma fire, and even ACTUAL fire once. He's stared death in the face too many times to count." Cortana replied. "Trust me. I think my spartan can handle a little culture shock."

Within moments, Michaels was tapping away furiously on his omni-tool as he laughed nervously to himself, not believing this was actually happening. At one point, he stopped. "Something wrong, Michaels?" Anderson asked.

"I just realized...we're bringing back the greatest hero in Human history." Michaels said. "We're MAKING history right now. I...I need a moment to take this in."

"We haven't got all day." Cortana said. "Sometime in the NEXT 131 years would be nice, thank you."

"Right, right. Sorry." the tech quickly apologized to the AI as he resumed his work. "Okay. I don't have a drumroll, so a countdown will have to do. Cracking open the pod in 3...2...1..." He tapped his omni-tool one last time.

There was a loud hiss as gas blew out from nozzles as the pod was de-pressurized. After that, the pod started to glow a little. The screens on the pod's control panel blinked to life, showing the Chief's vital signs and the progress of his thawing. That's when it happened. He moved. The Chief shifted around a little in the pod, apparently waking up. The Human marines dared not breathe another breath.

"Easy Chief." Cortana said, seeing the way the spartan shifted. "You're still thawing. You don't want to hurt yourself."

Chief nodded in acknowledgement. He continued shifting, but at a slower and gentler rate this time. Eventually, the pod door opened up just as the Chief was finally starting to get some feeling back in his limbs. He floated out of the pod and activated his magnetic boots, sticking to the floor with a dull thud that startled several of the room's occupants. He looked at Captain Anderson, recognizing him as, due to the manner of his space suit, the highest-ranking officer here. He saluted.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Reporting for duty, sir." The marines were so breathless that at this point, they were practically blue.

"Captain David Anderson." Anderson saluted back. "At ease, Chief." the captain was grinning ear-to-ear. He still couldn't believe it. The Chief, alive and well, standing right in front of him. It was surreal, yet exciting. Chief looked over to the aliens and, acting on instinct pulled out his M6 magnum pistol.

"STOP!" Anderson yelled. Chief didn't lower the weapon, but it seemed that Anderson's order kept Chief from pulling the trigger. However, the Turians had raised their own weapons in response.

"Relax, Master Chief." Anderson said in a calming tone. "These aliens are friendly. Not Covenant. That war's been over for a long time." Chief stared down the aliens, who still have their weapons trained on him.

"You sure they're friendly?" he asked in a patronizing yet amused tone. Anderson turned to Currick.

"Currick, tell your men to stand down." he said. Currick nodded.

"Gentlemen, we're dealing with a half-ton, seven-foot tall super-soldier with abilities comparable to a Krogan on steroids. If any of you want to piss him off, I'll be sure to inform your families." Currick said. The Turian troopers got the message, as they all then lowered their weapons.

Just like with Cortana, the new alien species and the new UNSC uniforms did not pass by Chief. "How long have I been in there, exactly?" he asked.

"Approximately 131 years." Cortana answered. Chief turned to the AI, who smiled at him. "Welcome to the 27th century."

While Chief was happy that Cortana was okay...did she really just say 131 years? Chief paused to contemplate this for a brief moment. Of course, a brief moment for a spartan was about 2 or 3 seconds. 4 at the most. He then turned to Captain Anderson.

"Guess I've got some catching up to do, huh?" he asked. Anderson nodded.

"Grab Cortana and the marines and I will escort you back to our ship, the _Mt. Everest. _We'll bring you up to speed on everything you've missed once we get there."

Chief nodded before walking to the terminal to take out Cortana's chip. He then inserted it into the back of his helmet. He walked over to where he put away his MA5C assault rifle to take it out of the weapons rack. "So where are we going, Captain?" he asked as he placed the rifle on his back.

"We're going home, Chief." Anderson answered. "We're going to Earth. Now that you're back, there's a lot that needs to be done."

...

**Codex Entry (Technology): Slipspace**

_Formerly used by the Human Alliance, Sangheili Empire, Kig-Yar Confederacy and Yanme'e Hives, slipspace is an unstable form of FTL travel that involves creating a wormhole, instantly transporting the subject ship from one point in space to another. The ship spends the interim time in another dimension, predictably known as slipspace, where the laws of physics apply differently to the ship than in normal space._

_Some Citadel races, particularly the Turian Hierarchy, were critical of slipspace as a viable means of FTL travel. While it was undoubtedly faster than traditional eezo-based FTL, it also had greater dangers, such as Cherenkov radiation poisoning, gravity distortions of slipspace portals opened in atmo, and some ship technicians simply disappearing from existence. Some Turians went even so far as to call for the banning of slipspace technology from Council space entirely, though many speculate it had less to do with safety concerns and more to do with the Turians' desire to weaken Humanity as a possible threat, as slipspace was part of the reason why the Alliance was able to retake Shanxi so quickly._

_The Alliance fiercely contested slipspace technology for years until 2667. As a sign of good will, Alliance ship makers voluntarily cooperated with Turian engineers to create the very first Turian ship with its own slipspace drive, the _Prodition_. The ship was officially tested in orbit over the Turian colony world of Pheiros. The _Prodition_ successfully opened a slipspace portal, entered, and was never heard from again. Outraged, the Hierarchy immediately began petitioning for a full-on ban on Slipspace technology._

_To this day, the Pheiros Incident has made Slipspace technology one of the biggest hot-button issue of the day. Many scientists, particularly the pro-Slipspace Salarian interest group 'Slip to the Future,' claim that the Council should not let one bad experience with new technology sour them on it. Others have gone so far as to speculate that the Pheiros Incident was the result of sabotage. But by whom and for what reason remain a mystery, as any evidence on board the ship that might have pointed to sabotage disappeared from existence along with the _Prodition


	3. So, what did I miss?

**Okay. Big time apologies for the delay and for having take this chapter down for a time. Schoolwork is responsible for the former and the latter can be blamed on technical difficulties (the Document Manager was being a bitch). I'll try to have the next chapter out sooner, but no promises.**

**Before we proceed, one thing I'd like to address is why there is no Shepard in this fic. It's a radical change and one that warrants an explanation. Well, here's the thing. Shepard is a blank slate. He can be anything you want him to be. He can be a by-the-book paragon or a ruthless renegade. He could be a wise-cracking irishman, or a bad-ass with a heart of gold. He can be a biotic warrior who studies Confucious or a warrior poet who keeps a samurai sword in a locker in his quarters. Bottom line; he can be whatever you want him to be, cuz he's a clean slate. So when I tossed around the idea of a Halo / Mass Effect crossover I thought "Hey, if I can make Shepard into whatever I want, why not make him Master Chief?" And voila! This fanfic was born.**

**Alright. Let's do this before anything else comes to screw it up.**

**...**

1834 Hours, February 16th, 2683

_SSV Mt. Everest_

Undisclosed Location in the Ismar Frontier

...

As Captain Anderson guided Master Chief through the corridors of the MSV _Mt. Everest, _the dock personnel immediately stopped what they were doing and stared. The marines, the engineers, the medical staff, the custodial staff; EVERYONE stopped whatever they were in the middle of doing to get a good look at the Master Chief. Chief didn't mind the looks. He learned a long time ago that when you're a SPARTAN-II, people tend to stare at you. It didn't even phase him anymore at this point. At the moment, Chief was more interested in his current surroundings.Everything was so...different. The armor of the soldiers seemed more like a lightweight kevlar, while the armor of the UNSC marines of old were rather hobbled together and messy-looking by comparison. Most of the deck workers wore blue jumpsuits, which seemed to be more skin-tight than those of the deck workers in his day. Even the interior of the ship was different. The walls were a calming shade of blue as opposed to militaristic grey, and had an overall more organic and circular look to it. While it was more pleasing aesthetically, the Chief silently hoped that practicality and combat efficiency weren't given up in exchange. As Anderson guided Chief to Admiral Hackett's quarters, the Spartan de-activated his helmet's speakers, allowing him to chat with Cortana in private.

"So let me get this straight." the Spartan began. "We're in the future."

"The year 2683, to be precise." Cortana replied in a timely manner as always.

Chief shook his head slightly. "You've gotta be kidding me..."

"Yeah, I know. It's like a plot device out of a poorly written sci-fi." Cortana said. "But...just take a look around. New uniforms, new ships, new aliens, new everything. The eyes don't lie. As ridiculous as it sounds, we're in the future."

"But how?" Chief asked. "Cryo-sleep preserves you for long, but not THAT long."

"Your guess is as good as mine, Chief." Cortana said. "It's a mystery. Bottom line is, we're in the 27th century now."

Chief thought about the AI's words for a bit. Then; "New aliens...where do we stand with them? And what about the Covenant?"

"The new aliens call themselves Turians and are allies of humanity...or so they say." Cortana explained. "As for the Covenant, I have no idea. The UNSC seems to have recovered well since the war; that much is obvious. Hopefully, this Admiral Hackett will have all the answers."

A few seconds afterward, Anderson and the Chief arrived at an elevator. The door opened and the two stepped inside. Anderson pressed some buttons, taking the elevator to Deck 3, where the Admiral's quarters were located. Chief elicited a sigh. He always hated elevator rides. They always took so damn long. Still, at least this elevator wasn't as slow as the one on the _Pillar of Autumn. _THAT elevator was slower than continental drift.

The elevator stopped at Deck 3 and Anderson led the chief outside. From the large hologram of the ship and its surroundings rising out of a large panel, Chief quickly recognized this part of the ship as the CIC. They walked past the hologram (the Chief earning even more awed stares on the way) past the communications room and eventually to the door leading to the Admiral's office. Anderson turned to the chief.

"The Admiral is just inside. He'll answer any and all questions you and Cortana have." He said. He then gave a quick salute, and returned to his post. Chief took a breath and entered, the doors opening with a swish. It was a fairly standard office for a fleet Admiral. A desk with a personal computer, a bed, a closet, practically a hotel suite compared to where the rest of the crew sleeps. Behind the desk sat Admiral Stephen Hackett, who immediately looked up from what looked like a datapad the moment Chief entered the room.

He was old, his skin wrinkled to the point of looking like leather. He had a neatly trimmed mustache-beard combo that was white as snow. Finally, a long scar ran down the right side of his face; likely a momento from when he was lower down on the chain of command a long time ago. He stared at the hulking human, as many others did since he came aboard.

"Master Chief..." the Admiral finally said. "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd meet you in person." His speaking wasn't awed, despite the words. More matter-of-fact. Chief liked that.

Chief clicked his helmet's speakers back on so he could talk. "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd wake up in the future." he countered.

Hackett smiled at that. He gestured to a chair. "Have a seat, son." The SPARTAN-II looked at the offered seat, a chair in front of the desk, analyzing it. He turned back to the Admiral.

"I think it'd be better if I stood, sir. For obvious reasons." Chief replied. Indeed. He'd probably crush that chair with his bulk the way it was.

"Alright then." Hackett nodded before putting his datapad away. He then gave the Spartan his full, undivided attention. "You probably have a lot of questions for me. Where would you like to start?"

"Well for one thing, I don't suppose you Futurists have come up with a time machine of some kind. I'd like to be sent back to my own time." Chief said in a half-amused tone. He was actually kind of hoping there was an actual time machine.

"While Humanity has made considerable technological advancements since 2552, time travel is still a long way off for us. Sorry Chief, but it looks like you're stuck here." the Admiral answered.

"Great." Chief replied, sounding less-than-thrilled. Chief paused as he briefly contemplated what his next question should be. Everything was so different. Where should he begin? He took a look around the room, once again noting how the architecture was more aesthetically pleasing than those of 26th century ships. He turned to the Admiral. "I see that the UNSC has done well for itself since the end of the war."

Hackett nodded. "Indeed. We've recovered well. Most of the colony worlds that were destroyed in the Human-Covenant war have been re-colonized and rebuilt. Some worlds still bare the scars, but for the most part, we're back at full strength and then some."

"Glad to hear." Chief said with a nod.

"Though...we don't go by the name UNSC anymore." Hackett added. "We're the HSA now. Human Systems Alliance."

"Why the name change?" Chief asked.

"Well, it's a long story so I'll give you the short version. Once we started colonizing worlds again, we didn't want a repeat of the outer colony rebellions." Hackett began. "So rather than try to enforce them through martial law, we did some social reforms to improve colonial life across the board. Gave outer colony governors more say in Human politics, better schools, better living conditions, that kind of thing. That required us to completely re-think the way we governed Human space. We ended up completely redesigning the UNSC from the ground up. After such radical changes and now with several alien species as our allies, we decided it was only fitting to give our inter-stellar government a new name."

Chief considered the Admiral's words, then nodded. Granted, he had grown used to UNSC, so calling it the HSA would take some time before he got used to it. But at the end of the day, it was still humanity. As Shakespeare once said; 'Is a rose by any other name not just as lovely?' But then, he considered Hackett's last sentence; about alien allies.

"What about the Covenant? What happened to them?" Chief asked as his thoughts suddenly drifted to his old foes. Hackett sighed.

"Brace yourself, Chief. You might not like what your about to hear." Hackett said. Chief nodded, telling Hackett to go ahead. Hackett sighed again before answering. "The Covenant splintered shortly after the war and is now no more. However, most of its former member races are now allies of Humanity, with the exception of the Brutes and the Prophets."

Chief had to pause after that. Did he just say allies? With Covenant races. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Allies?" he asked. Hackett nodded. Chief shook his head again. "Okay. I guess I could see us being friendly with the elites since they did help us in the Battle of the Ark. I could even see us being friendly with some of the grunts. But the hunters? And the drones and the jackals?"

"Keep in mind, Chief. You've been gone for 130 years. A lot of hatchets can be buried in that amount of time." Hackett replied.

Chief was still having trouble believing what he was hearing. "Maybe you should start from the beginning. Tell me everything that's happened since I went into cryo." Chief said.

"Alright." Hackett said. He took a deep breath before he began. "After the war ended, we slowly but surely rebuilt our empire. Ended up befriending the former covenant races one by one, except the Brutes and Prophets. Some species just can't let go of the past apparently. They've both been exiled to the Brute homeworld of Doisac, but Brute pirates and raiders are still a problem to this day. Anyway, we allied ourselves with those other races. The Sangheili shared their knowledge of plasma technology with us, Kig-Yar ran several trade routes..."

"I'm sorry, hold on." Chief interrupted. "Sangheili? Kig-Yar?"

"The real species names of the elites and jackals respectively." Hackett answered. "It's...no longer politically correct to call them by their marine-given monikers."

"Political Correctness? He's worried about offending a jackal?" Cortana commented. She didn't speak through the helmet's speakers so only Chief heard her. "Wow. This IS a different galaxy."

Chief did not acknowledge Cortana's comment and nodded at the Admiral to continue. "Anyway, we allied with the former covenant races one by one, and we were exploring space again. It was a new golden age of recovery, peace, and prosperity. Then, in the year 2648, we made a huge discovery. Element Zero."

Chief paused, his attention caught. "Element Zero?"

"Found a whole cache of the stuff on a planet covered in ancient ruins. They weren't as old as Forerunner ruins, but at 50,000 years, they were still pretty old. Found a way to make technology out of it; the most notable of which is an FTL drive that's now in use today. Not as fast as slipspace, but it gets the job done."

Chief was taken aback by that comment. "If slipspace is superior, why don't we still use it sir?"

Hackett sighed again, more out of frustration than anything else. "Mostly because the Citadel Council won't allow it. Apparently, they're not too keen on the idea of slicing open a portal in the space-time continuum. Too dangerous, they said. Element Zero is what everyone else uses and they got by just fine on it. They say we should too." Hackett grimaced. "Personally, I think they did it to try and pull our teeth."

Chief once again paused. "Citadel Council, sir?"

"I'll explain that bit when we get to it." Hackett answered. "Anyway, when we found that cache of Element Zero, we also found coordinates. Those coordinates lead us to this." Hackett said as he turned his computer screen around. Chief leaned in to take a closer look. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was a structure that looked a bit like a tuning fork with several antennas sticking out from the top. In the center of the arms was pair of swirling rings orbiting what looked like a floating core of pure blue energy.

"What is that?" Chief asked.

"It's a called a mass relay. We found it at those coordinates that were provided at the ruins." Hackett began. "Took us to an entirely different part of the galaxy in the blink of an eye, a trip that would've taken months by slipspace. Years even."

"After we discovered and activated that mass relay, we realized that everything that had happened up until that point; the war with the covenant, the flood, everything was restricted to one little cluster of stars. A single gallon of water out of an entire lake, if not an ocean." Hackett explained. "Galaxy is big, Chief. Far bigger than anyone in your time ever realized."

Chief digested this fact for a moment. He decided to listen to more. "Then what happened?"

"We just discovered a whole new part of the galaxy that was easily accessible." Hackett resumed. "Unsurprisingly, a new era of wonder and exploration began. Humanity and every race allied with it began colonizing worlds like they were going out of style. We settled, we explored, we traded, life is good." The Admiral paused. "Course, it was only a matter of time when we made contact with a new alien race. And we did. Unfortunately, much like with the covenant, it was less than peaceful."

Chief flexed at this. Was there another war going on? He had to know. "Who attacked us?"

"A race called the Turians." Hackett answered. "In 2657, they attacked us while we were trying to activate another dormant mass relay we found. Activating dormant relays is illegal for them. They then traced us to Shanxi, one of the worlds we settled. They invaded it, took it over and occupied it. Alliance brass had reason to believe that they planned on using it as a staging planet, to gear up for a war."

"Chief, the Turians are the aliens who were there when you woke up." Cortana silently told her spartan. "The ones who are allegedly our 'buddies.'" Chief stiffened a bit at this. He would've asked, but he didn't want to interrupt the Admiral further. Hackett continued.

"We managed to launch a counter-attack to retake the planet. As per a treaty agreement upon finding the first mass relay, all races of our home cluster, humanity included, would join together to counter any hostile alien force that attacked even one of us. The former races of the Covenant honored that agreement by joining us in that counter-attack. I was there."

"You were?" Chief asked.

"I was captain of a frigate, the _Harvest._ She was a good ship." Hackett answered. "We did some atmosphere work, mostly picking up and dropping off marines, as well as the occasional bombing run. But the little ground action I did see, I remember well. Human marines storming Turian fire bases, supported by Sangheili and Unggoy troops. Kig-Yar snipers defending key positions. Mgalekgolo bond brothers blowing Turian armored vehicles to bits. They all had roles to play and they played them well on Shanxi. I know you can't easily forgive those races for what they did. But what they did was a long time ago. Things are different now."

Chief said nothing, only nodded. Friendly covvies. The SPARTAN-II would believe it once he saw it for himself.

"Anyway, it was a long campaign, about two months, before the Turians finally withdrew. They then started preparations for a full-scale war. It looked like it was going to be a repeat of the Human-Covenant War. Fortunately, the Citadel Council intervened."

"The Citadel Council are the big cheeses, Chief. Pretty much the presidents of every world of every race allied with them, which is about half of the known galaxy. They managed to get the Turians to back off and negotiated a peaceful solution. Now Humans, Sangheili, Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Lekgolo, Yan'mee and Hurogok are now citadel races, each having their own embassy on the Citadel; a huge space station that acts as the cultural and political hub of Citadel space."

"26 years later, in 2683...we find you." Hackett finished. "Any more questions?"

"So...the Turians?" Chief asked.

"Officially our allies. But tensions still linger." Hackett replied. "And they're not the only alien race. Asari, Salarians, Volus, Elcor, just to name a few. Anything else?"

There were actually many more questions the Chief still had. What became of Halo? And the Flood? What are all the new aliens like? Hell, he still had some trouble wrapping his head around the idea of Humanity being friendly with aliens, let alone the ones that almost drove them to extinction. But he didn't want to waste time asking questions. He actually wanted to take a look around the ship, to get a sense of what this new century was like. Most important of all, he wanted to see the improvements made to weapons.

"That's all for now. I'll probably have more questions for you in the future Admiral, but I don't want to waste any more of your time." Chief replied. "I'd like to take a look around the ship, if you don't mind."

"Of course." Hackett nodded. "But before you go, there's one more thing you need to be made aware of. It's about Cortana."

"What about me?" Cortana chimed in, speaking through the Chief's helmet speakers. Hackett was taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

"Having you still functioning could present a problem, Cortana." the Admiral began. "AI's like you are illegal in Citadel Space. Needless to say, the Council aren't going to be too happy about your existence."

Cortana paused at that. "Illegal, sir?"

"Like slipspace, the Council thinks AI's are too dangerous. When Humanity joined the Citadel races, we had to get rid of both of them. Since then, AI production has ceased."

Chief grimaced underneath his helmet. The Citadel Council, which was apparently run by aliens, had forced Humanity to get rid of their two biggest advantages in space exploration for no good reason other than it was just 'illegal.' He didn't know a thing about any of the new aliens yet, and he already didn't like them.

"What's...going to happen to me?" Cortana asked in a worried tone.

Hackett sighed. "I'm not sure. You don't seem to harbor any ill will towards organics the way most AI's do. Maybe the Council will be lenient towards you because of that. But...I don't think it's very likely that they'll let you stay with the Chief."

For the first time in a long time, Chief felt anger. Real, genuine anger. Cortana was, for all intents and purposes, his best friend. For the last two years, she's been with him for the best of times and the worst of times. When he fought through High Charity, he wasn't just doing it to get Halo's activation index. He did it to get her. He clenched his fists.

"_Nobody _is taking Cortana." Chief defiantly stated.

"I'm sorry, Chief. But it's out of my hands." Hackett replied. He meant it when he said he was sorry. Cortana was just as much of a hero to humanity as Chief was. She deserved to stay with him, no matter what happened.

"Hold on. I have an idea." Cortana suddenly said. Both Hackett and Chief paused their respective sorrow and anger to listen to what she had to say.

"Admiral. You can't hand me over to the Council...because you've already deleted me." the AI said. Hackett was confused at first. "Turns out 131 years in data storage have made me rampant. You had to shut me down. Chief didn't like it, but it was the only way. You knew I would've wanted it that way."

Hackett's eyes widened when he realized what Cortana was suggesting. "You know, I think you might actually be rampant to even be suggesting something like that."

"With all due respect Admiral, but I'm not going anywhere." Cortana stated. The words made it sound like a defiant declaration, but Hackett could tell from her tone that it was more like a humble request.

"What about the marines? And the Turians? They saw you operating just fine on the _Dawn_." He pointed out.

"You know how rampant AI's are. They can be very sneaky." Cortana elaborated. Hackett sighed in defeat.

"Fine. I'll write in my report that you were found to be rampant and you were quickly deleted." the Admiral said as he began typing on his computer. "FYI, if you and Chief get caught, the Alliance will deny everything. Knowledge, involvement, everything. You two will be on your own."

"Well then, guess we'll just have to avoid getting caught." Cortana said in her usual cheerful demeanor. Chief smiled. The AI could be very wily when she wanted to be.

"Well Chief, unless you and Cortana have any further questions, you're dismissed." Hackett said.

"Sir." Chief said before firing off a quick salute. The SPARTAN-II then turned on his heels and walked out of the office.

It was about a five-day journey from the Ismar Frontier to Earth. Chief spent the first day taking a look around the ship, wanting to get a feel for how Human ships worked now. People stopped and stared in muted awe everywhere he went, but he was used to it by now. Once he had a rough idea of the ship's layout, he spent most of his time in the ship's firing range, familiarizing himself with all the new weapons. A firing instructor was more than happy to assist, on the condition that Chief posed for a holo that the instructor can send to his son. Chief wasn't the most photogenic soldier, but hey, it was for the guy's son. He grinned and bore it as the instructor took the holo.

After that, he was trained in how 27th century firearms work. First off, they can be 'folded' into more compact forms when not in use, allowing soldiers to carry more weapons into battle with them. It was practically a dream come true for Chief. More guns meant more ways to win a fight. The standard marine was able to take up to four weapons into battle with them at a time: an assault rifle and a sniper rifle on each side of the upper back, a shotgun on the lower back, and a pistol on either thigh. The ammo feature was a plus too. Once 'mass effect' technology was incorporated into firearms, ammunition was no longer an issue. Guns' ammo compartments were filled with blocks of hard metal. From what he learned, shards of metal the size of sand grains were carved off the block and fired at the target at lethal speeds. Since a single block in each weapon was usually enough to last a mission, scrounging for ammo was no longer an issue. The tradeoff was the weapons would overheat if fired continuously for too long, and it would take a few seconds to cool if it did. Chief was impressed. Human technicians have come a long way since the MA5C.

The ship's excitement and buzz was quickly replaced with somberness and sorrow once Admiral Hackett announced that Cortana was found to be rampant, and had to be put down. Chief was getting condolences from everyone he came across as well as silent, sorrow-filled stares. It annoyed the SPARTAN-II. Not only because it was a less-than welcome reminder that he will have to go through with all this for real one day, but also because Cortana wouldn't stop accepting those condolences, unbeknownst to the crew of course. She must've detected that her Spartan was getting annoyed and hoped that making light of her own inevitable death would cheer him up a little.

The Spartan and the AI decided that they should spend their time next learning as much as they can about what happened after Chief went into cryo. There was one subject in particular Chief wanted to know about; Halo.

Both Chief and Cortana were surprised to learn that the home cluster of Humanity and the Covenant races has been labeled 'the Forerunner Cluster' by official Citadel star-charters. The reason for this surprised the two even more; it was the only place in the entire known galaxy where Forerunner ruins and relics could be found. Chief was deeply confused by this. The Forerunners were supposed to have an empire that spanned the entire galaxy. The Halo array was supposed to span the entire galaxy. They did some more digging into the subject and found that, while two of the seven halo rings were destroyed (the first Halo Chief found and Delta Halo), the other five were still out there somewhere. There are absolutely no records of any of the new alien races having ever encountered anything like Halo. Cortana theorized that the other five rings were each behind a dormant mass relay (whose activation was illegal in Citadel Space), a theory that seemed plausible since, even with the mass relay network, experts say that less than one percent of the entire galaxy has been charted and mapped, let alone explored or discovered. It did little to comfort the Chief. Halo was too dangerous to allow to simply drift in space, waiting for a sentient species dumb enough to either release the Flood or activate the failsafe that would turn every species in the galaxy capable of calculus into piles of goo. Not to mention it still left the question why Forerunner ruins weren't found in other places in the galaxy.

There was one detail that Chief couldn't help but notice was missing from all his research. There was absolutely no mention of the fact that the Ark and the Halo rings can wipe out all sentient life in the galaxy.

Cortana theorized that ONI left out that particular detail in the official reports to the public to keep them from panicking over the fact that they not once, not twice, but three times came very close to being wiped out. They also left out the activation of the newly-rebuilt Installation-04 to wipe out the Gravemind for good measure. The official story was that, after the death of Truth, the victorious forces created a massive bomb that was detonated in the Ark's core, wiping out the rest of the Flood. Chief and the Arbiter stayed behind to detonate the bomb, and attempted to flee back to Earth about the _Forward Unto Dawn. _Arbiter made it back, Chief didn't. And the rest is history. Chief eventually did find mention of Halo as a super-weapon, but the article quickly dismissed the claim as a mere conspiracy theory.

On a lighter note though, many worlds with Forerunner ruins have become very popular tourist destinations among the new aliens. Apparently selling t-shirts and Forerunner-inspired knick-knacks was where Humanity was getting much of its funding these days.

Chief spent the rest of the trip either eating, sleeping, or getting to know as many weapons as he could. He drilled himself in the firing range, assembling and disassembling every kind of firearm that was available. It took him a while to learn all the components, but once he did, it was like riding a bike. He still couldn't quite beat some of the faster assemblers in terms of raw speed, but that was only because he had yet to truly familiarize himself with the weapons. The spartan was confident that he'd be back on that horse soon enough.

The morning where Admiral Hackett announced that the fleet was approaching Earth was one of the most welcome mornings in the Spartan's life. While humanity's galactic territory had indeed expanded, Earth was still naturally the hub of Human culture, finance, and politics. There was no better place for humanity's greatest hero to start anew then on Earth.

Master Chief rode in the private shuttle across from Admiral Hackett and Captain Anderson. Chief spent the ride analyzing the both of them. It was strange, seeing a mere Captain and a high-ranking Admiral in such close cahoots with one another. Cortana theorized earlier that maybe Hackett had selected Anderson for a high-priority mission of some sort. Not only that, but given the interest both of them had in Chief, it was likely that Chief would eventually become involved in that mission.

The rest of the fifth fleet was docking in New Mombasa space port. The crew met the usual welcoming commitee; the hugs of friends and family, the cameras of the media, and even a local high school marching band. The brass wanted the SPARTAN-II away from all that public attention, an order the Chief was all too happy to follow. He never cared much about media attention. Getting the occasional stare from passers-by was one thing. A papparazzi was quite another. The spartan and the two officers would be making birth in a private dock, far away from the media.

At least, that was the plan...

"What the hell..." Hackett said as he looked out the window. He sighed and shook his head. "Great." Chief looked out the window and immediately started sharing the admiral's opinion.

Down by what was supposed to be a private dock, were dozens of news reporters and civilians with cardboard cut-outs with messages on them such as 'Welcome Home, Chief!' and 'You're the reason my son wants to join the alliance!' Surprisingly, the Chief also spotted a few Sangheili in the crowd that seemed just as thrilled as the humans; one of them holding a sign that read 'You're the reason our people are free!' Cortana noticed this as well. "Well, the Elites are nothing if not grateful." she commented.

Alliance marines had set up a parameter around the dock to keep most of the reporters and civilians at bay, but they went absolutely nuts when they saw the shuttle coming. Hackett growled.

"I swear to God, when I found out who let the cat out of the bag, they're going to spend the rest of their career behind a desk." he threatened.

Anderson was a little more civil. "With all due respect, Admiral. We're talking about a spartan here. It was inevitable that the general public would find out. Maybe it's better if we got it over with now."

Chief frowned underneath his helmet. As loathe as he was admit it, Anderson did have a point. He'd just have to do what he always did in these situations; smile and wave. Well, wave anyway.

When the shuttle landed and the doors opened, Cortana did Chief the courtesy of decreasing the sensitivity of his helmet's audio sensors, for which he was eternally grateful, as the audible screaming was deafening enough already. The men were cheering and whistling and saluting him like he was a hero, while some of the women (the younger women, Chief noticed) were screaming like he was some kind of rock star.

"Crowd who loves a hero. You know the drill, spartan." Cortana commented. Chief could easily imagine a smirk on her face. He started waving to the crowd as he made his way to the doors that would lead to the base, as well as his salvation. Reporters were struggling to get past the marines and started yelling questions to the Chief, but Chief couldn't hear those questions over the roaring, not that he would answer them regardless. Chief hated reporters getting in his face. There were even times that his military discipline was the only thing keeping him from punching the particularly nosy ones right across the jaw.

Fortunately, no such incident seemed likely here. Up until near the end. He felt something land on his helmet, immediately blocking his visor. It wasn't heavy, and seemed to be a piece of clothing of some kind. Chief removed it from his helmet to see what it was. It took him aback, as it did Cortana.

"Is that...a _bra?" _she asked incredulously.

"MARRY ME CHIEF!" came a crazed woman's voice. Anderson came up next to Chief and grabbed his shoulders.

"Come on, lover boy." he chuckled. "Let's get you inside, away from all the crazies."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Chief agreed. When undergarments started flying, it was usually a sign to get the eff out of dodge. The Chief then followed the Captain to the end of the dock to the doors leading into the Alliance naval base.

...

The next few hours were tedious for the Chief. He had to go through a series of medical exams to ensure that he was still in good physical condition. He didn't see the point in it, given that he already went through similar exams immediately after his re-awakening on the _Mt. Everest. _According to Hackett, this base had better medical facilities and thus would be able to do more thorough tests. Once again, there wasn't much the Chief could do except grin and bare it.

It was a fairly standard series of physical exams. Running on treadmill? Check. Whacking knee with a hammer to test reflexes? Check. Weight-lifting? Check. Chief passed the last one with flying colors, obviously. There was worry among the medical staff that the Battle of the Ark left Chief in a bad way, but thankfully his power armor was built tough and absorbed most of the damage. Save for some minor scratches, bruises and burns (minor by SPARTAN-II standards, anyway), Chief was soon given a clean bill of health.

The next few hours were spent doing nothing worth mentioning. Just more target practice at the shooting range. Chief didn't really need target practice; it was mostly just something to alleviate boredom. It was during this practice that he got into a conversation with some marine named Jenkins. Jenkins seemed to be a big fan of the Chief, saying it was growing up watching all those history vids about the Chief's exploits that inspired him to join the Alliance. In fact, it seemed as though Chief had become quite the figure in Human culture since the war, a folk legend almost. Jenkins then asked something that took the spartan aback.

"So, have you been to Spartan Hill?" Jenkins asked.

Chief paused, looking up from his assault rifle (whose sights were trained on a far away target) and looked to the young marine. "Spartan Hill?" he asked.

"Yeah. Spartan Hill. That's what the locals call the memorial to all the spartans who fought in the Human-Covenant War. You should go there sometime." Jenkins explained. "I'd better get back to my post. Don't want Captain Anderson chewing me out."

As Jenkins turned and walked away, Chief paused and thought about what the marine just told him.

...

It was dawn when the shuttle arrived on Spartan Hill. The earliest of early birds were up and chirping. Half of the sky was still a dark blue while the other half was pinkish-orange, indicative of the sun that was on its way. When Chief first heard about Spartan Hill the day before, Chief asked Captain Anderson if he could go. He would've asked Admiral Hackett, but he said he had other matters that needed to be attended to, and told Chief that Anderson could answer any more questions he might have. Anderson was happy to take Chief to Spartan Hill, though he suggested that they go at dawn. Any other time of day or night and they might run into tourists, which could result in more media coverage, which was the last thing Chief wanted.

The shuttle doors opened and the Chief walked out with Anderson close behind. They weren't being escorted by marines, mostly because a SPARTAN-II didn't really need escorts. Chief stopped and looked at the memorial in front of him. It was a giant bronze statue of a SPARTAN-II wielding a MA5C Assault Rifle. It stood ten feet tall on a pedestal two feet high. The bronze spartan was locked in a casual pose, just standing up straight and holding the rifle. And yet, it came across as so heroic, especially with how he was holding his head high with his chin tilted ever so slightly upwards. Chief didn't care much for memorials. He wasn't against the idea of receiving credit where it was due, but a bronze statue seemed like a waste of time and money to him.

Next to the statue was a wall with many names engraved into it. Chief walked up to the wall to get a better look at the names. His eyes went wide as he saw the names.

_SPARTAN-006: Jai_

_SPARTAN-008: Li_

_SPARTAN-023: Daisy_

The name of every SPARTAN-II that served in the war had their names engraved here.

"I can tell you need a few minutes alone." Anderson said. "I'll be waiting by the shuttle when you're ready." And with that, he walked back to the shuttle, leaving the Chief with his thoughts.

Chief turned around and walked away from the wall, towards the railing lining the top of the hill. He looked out at the sprawling landscape below. The Kenyan savannah that he imagined was once crawling with Covenant forces. Any craters left from those battles were now nearly indistinguishable from the rest of the ground. The land had healed well. He looked further, towards the lights of New Mombasa, once nearly torn apart by war, now better than ever as though nothing ever happened. He also noted how much it changed. How the buildings were taller, how they were white in color instead of light brown. He could even make out the whizzing dots in the distance as flying cars zipping around the skyscrapers via his helmet's zoom capabilities.

"Penny for your thoughts, Chief?" Cortana asked, breaking the silence.

"Everything is so...different." Chief said. "It's like the war never even happened."

"It's definitely an adjustment." Cortana conceded. Chief turned back to the memorial, to all the names on that wall. That's when it truly dawned on him.

"I'm the last one." he stated. "I'm the last spartan."

There was a good minute's worth of silence after that. Cortana saw the signs. The slight drop in voice octave. The slight loosening of face muscles. It was all far too subtle for most people to pick up on, but it was as clear as day to the A.I. Chief was sad. And she couldn't blame him. He was the last of his kind. Feelings of loneliness, loss and emptiness were to be expected in response to such a revelation.

"Hey. You still have me, right?" Cortana asked, trying to cheer Chief up. All that did was make him nod. It didn't improve his recently sullen mood that much.

"I'm the last spartan. The war with the Covenant is over." he shrugged. "Fighting is all I know, Cortana. What am I supposed to do with my life now?"

It was then that it happened. As if on cue from a grand universal stage director, the sun came up just a little to the left of New Mombasa. The sunlight rushed over the savannah, revealing its beauty; all the gazelles and wildebeasts that had been peacefully grazing. Chief saw the way the New Mombasa skyline suddenly took on new life as it sparkled and twinkled in the early morning sun. Any dark blue left in the sky all but evaporated as the sun broke the horizon, giving birth to a new day. Chief paused in a brief moment of hidden awe. SPARTAN-II's were not the most cultured warriors, but even they can appreciate beauty.

"Well, you're not going to find the answer to that question moping around on a hill top, now are you spartan?" Cortana asked. Her tone of voice made it sound like a friendly jab between comrades, but Chief knew it was actually an attempt to raise his spirits. And for the most part, it worked. Amazing the effects that a sunrise and a few reassuring words can have on a person.

It was then that the Chief remembered what his final thoughts were before going into cryo-sleep. _There will ALWAYS be a place for soldiers. _With that thought in mind, he turned around and walked back to the shuttle where Captain Anderson was waiting.

"You alright Chief?" Anderson asked. "I know that was a lot to take in."

"I had to search for my soul for a few minutes. Good news; I found it." Chief said, eliciting a smile from Anderson. Cortana was happy to see her spartan back in the saddle. "Now then, about my mission."

Anderson's mile went away, replaced with a raised eyebrow. "Mission?"

"With all due respect Captain, but I highly doubt you woke me up just so I could wave to the cameras." Chief elaborated. Anderson gave a knowing nod.

"You'd be right there. Alliance brass has something very special in mind for you." Anderson replied. "Come on." he said before getting back into the shuttle, the SPARTAN-II close behind. The shuttle took off and headed back for the base.

Chief was smiling underneath his helmet. He still needed some time to get used to this brave new galaxy, so a new mission to take on in the name of humanity will make the transition a little bit easier. Granted, it seemed doubtful he'd be saving every sentient species in the galaxy again, but he knew that whatever the mission was, it was important. You don't give a scrub job to a spartan, no matter what century you were in.

"First thing's first, Chief." Anderson began. "If you're going to go back into active service, the first thing we'll need to address is your equipment."

"My equipment, sir?" Chief asked.

"No offense. But the last time I saw an MA5C Assault Rifle was in an antique gun show. And your armor, well, quite frankly your armor belongs in a museum." the Captain explained. Chief looked downwards ever so slightly. He didn't like the idea of having to give up his armor. Anderson seemed to have picked up on this.

"Don't worry Chief. Ever since we cracked you out of that cryo-pod, Alliance engineers have been working around the clock on something special for you." he said with a smile. Chief looked up.

"Something special, sir?" he asked.

"Yes. It's just a prototype, and it was kind of on short notice, but it should be ready for you in the next few hours." he then smiled. "I think you'll like it."

...

"You almost done in there, sir?" Professor Frederick, a spectacled man in his mid-thirties called.

"Just about." Chief called back. The Professor, Captain Anderson and the rest of the engineer / science team were all eagerly waiting outside the door to the changing area in the base's tech lab. Another minute went by as the doors finally opened. Frederick stepped in front of the spartan.

"How does it fit?" he asked.

"Well enough." Chief replied. He looked to his left at a large mirror so he could see himself. At first glance, it didn't really seem like a different suit, just the old Mjolnir MK-VI armor with a new paint job; instead of being all green, the armor was grey save for a red stripe that ran down the length of his right arm from the shoulder, as well as another red stripe that ran the length of the top of his helmet. Course, the suit was new alright. It lacked the melted bits and scars the old suit had. He turned to his right to inspect the stripe on his arm. He saw the image of the SPARTAN-II symbol, white against the red; an eagle holding a lightning bolt in one talon and three arrows in the other.

"It looks the same as the old suit." Chief said. "Not that I'm complaining, but I was expecting a little more...innovation."

"Well, the need for this new armor DID come up on rather short notice." Professor Frederick pointed out. "It was faster and more cost-effective to spruce up an existing set of Mjolnir armor rather than make a whole new set from scratch. However, to simply call it a replica isn't doing it justice. It may not look all that different at first glance, but under the hood, it's got all the bells and whistles a soldier like you needs and then some. Three in particular I'd like to point out."

The professor grabbed a pistol from the desk. "I'm now going to shoot at you to demonstrate the new kinetic barriers." After everyone stood back a bit, the scientist fired a few rounds at Chief, which he took in relative stride. He saw the bar at the top of his HUD drop slightly, less than his old shield would, he noticed. "These new element-zero powered kinetic barriers are years ahead of what the UNSC or even what the Covenant had back in your time. You can take significantly more hits before that suit starts to show signs of wear and tear. It's standard issue for many Alliance marines."

The scientist put the pistol back on the table and walked up to the Chief as his shields flashed ever so slightly, indicating a recharge. "I'd like you to hold out your left arm like so." Frederick instructed, holding out his own left arm as though he were about to check what time it was. Chief imitated the action and was surprised by what happened. His left forearm was suddenly engulfed in what looked like a glowing, holographic glove.

"That is your omni-tool, your all-purpose combat computer. With its ability to hack doors and data files, I think you'll find it to be very useful in intelligence gathering missions." Frederick explained. Chief looked down at his omni-tool. He recognized what looked like buttons. "Well, don't be shy Chief. Give it a try." Frederick pressed. Chief tried to press a few of the 'buttons' on his omni-tool, only to have it go from gold to red as it gave a buzzing sound.

"Yes. The omni-tool takes time to master like any computer, I'm afraid." the Professor confessed.

"I usually let Cortana handle things like this." Chief commented. For the first time, the smile disappeared from the scientist's face, and was replaced with one of slight sorrow.

"I...heard about her. My condolences." he said.

"It's okay, Professor. I'm not really dead." Cortana commented. "Or am I?" she then proceeded to make a 'oOoOo'-ing noise to imitate a ghost. Thankfully, the comment was heard only be Chief. Her voice wasn't connected to the helmet's speakers. If people weren't looking, Chief would've smacked the side of his helmet like he usually did when Cortana got too snippy for her own good.

"Anyway, let's move on to the third new feature of your armor; the medi-gel dispenser, accessed via your omni-tool." the Professor resumed as he started pressing buttons on it. After a few button presses, a bit of translucent sparkly ooze came out of a dispenser on the Chief's wrist. The Professor held it up to the spartan's visor so he could get a better look at it. "This is medi-gel. It's perfect for healing grievous wounds on the battlefield. Like the kinetic barriers, medi-gel dispensers come standard among Alliance marines, meaning any soldier can act as a medic if need be."

Chief was impressed with all these new features. With his SPARTAN-II training combined with all this new technology, it was practically guaranteed that the Master Chief would succeed in whatever this mission was. The Professor walked to his desk and grabbed a datapad and started typing on it.

"Now, we just need to make sure your helmet's sights are to your liking." he said. He held the datapad up. "Look up, Chief." The spartan frowned. _This test _again. He sighed and did as he was told. "Good." Frederick said. "Now look down." Chief followed. "Good."

"I'd say he's ready, professor." came an odd voice that came from a ways behind the Chief. "The time has come to 'kick off the training wheels,' as the Human saying goes."

Chief turned around to see who it was. He wasn't entirely pleased to see that it was the voice of an alien. He was a Turian from the looks of his body shape, but he had never seen a Turian's face before. This one's face seemed black with a labyrinth of white stripes decorating it, making the head look like a skull. Chief briefly pondered if the markings were natural or some sort of facial tattoo. His entire head and face looked like it was made of solid bone. It would probably be a bit harder to crush a Turian's skull then it would be to crush that of a Sangheili. Harder, but certainly not impossible.

"Who are you?" Chief wasted no time in asking. If the Turian was intimidated, he didn't show it. Course with a face like that, emotions would be hard to read. He took a few steps forward.

"My name is Nihlus Kryik. You must be this 'Master Chief' I've been hearing so much about." he introduced himself in a civil manner. He held out his three-fingered hand. "Pleased to meet you."

Chief stared at the hand for a moment. He noted that he could grab the Turian's arm, twist it, relieve him of any hidden weapons, and then kill him with a full-nelson neck break all in under seven seconds. He could've done that, but then he remembered that Turians were good aliens...allegedly anyway. He took a the hand and shook it. He was shaking hands with an alien. It was very surreal to the Chief to say the least.

"What are you doing here?" the spartan asked.

"He's relevant to your mission, Chief." Anderson said as he stepped forward. "Come on. Our ship is waiting for us in Dock 14. I'll explain on the way."

The captain, the spartan and the Turian left the tech lab and headed for Dock 14. They had just entered a long corridor when the Captain began speaking. "The Alliance has been working on an experimental stealth frigate. It's recently been completed and she's ready for her maiden voyage; a shakedown run on Eden Prime, one of the first Human colonies to be settled outside the Forerunner Cluster. I've been appointed to be the captain of the ship."

So, Captain Anderson was to be the captain of an experimental prototype stealth ship. That explains why he was in so close with Hackett. The Admiral was probably briefing Anderson on the ship and its capabilities. "Why's the alien coming with us?" Chief asked.

"Nihlus. If you please." the Turian replied, though he didn't sound terribly offended. "And I'm coming along because not only was this frigate a joint effort between Human and Turian engineers, but it was also funded by the Council. As a Spectre, it is my duty to make sure all goes well."

"Spectre?" Chief asked.

"Short for Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." Anderson elaborated. "Spectres are agents of the council, taking part in high priority special operations. Their goal is to preserve galactic stability at any cost."

"Not all that different from the mission statement of the spartans from your time, Chief." Nihlus pointed out, hoping a favorable comparison would help establish a rapport with the spartan. Chief only raised his eyebrow at the Turian, though Nihlus couldn't see through the visor.

"So instead of raiding an enemy stronghold, the Council has you babysitting a Human vessel." Chief observed, curious to see how Nihlus would react.

"Not the most glamorous assignment I've ever had." Nihlus admitted. "But no less important than any other I've been given. Besides, I've learned a long time ago that you never know when a boring assignment might turn interesting."

They eventually reached the end of the corridor. It ended at a window overlooking Dock 14. That's where Chief saw the ship. She was slim in shape, with a slightly slanted and narrow bow. She had four thrusters that looked a bit like fins to the spartan. It was white on top with a black underbelly and trimmings. What Chief found most interesting was the size of the ship. "This is a frigate?" he asked.

"Indeed it is." Anderson said as we walked up next to the Chief, Nihlus beside Anderson opposite the Chief.

"Seems small for a frigate. Really small. Practically a lifeboat compared to the _Dawn._" Chief pointed out.

"That's technology for you." Anderson said with a shrug. "Over time, everything becomes smaller and more efficient. Computers, vid-phones, even ships."

"The crew is being assembled and they have begun boarding. We'll be shoving off within the hour." Nihlus stated.

"Wow. I just got in this suit and you guys are already putting me to work." Chief observed with amusement. Anderson smiled in response.

"You're a spartan, Chief. You don't bench spartans." Anderson replied. He turned to the Spectre. "Come on Nihlus. We should oversee the final preparations."

"After you." Nihlus said as he began following the Captain. "See you on the ship, Chief." Nihlus called to the spartan.

Chief's gaze turned back to the ship. The spartan clicked off his helmet speakers so he could talk to Cortana in private. "Any thoughts, Cortana?"

"Well, that Nihlus guy seemed nice enough." Cortana observed.

"Yeah. Little too nice. There's something he's not telling me." Chief replied.

"Definitely, and the Captain is holding something back too." Cortana added. "I mean, if a spectre is anything like a spartan, why is he on a shakedown run? The UNSC never sent a spartan on a shakedown run."

"Maybe the Council don't have anything better to do than to look over our shoulders." Chief said. His opinions of the Council hadn't improved much since Hackett brought him up to speed.

"Either that, or there's something more to this voyage than meets the eye." Cortana concluded.

"So what now?" Chief asked.

"Well, we can't really back out now, can we?" Cortana pointed out. "Let's just stick around and see where this goes."

Chief nodded as he continued scrutinizing the ship, analyzing it for any possible weak points. While she may not be anywhere near as big as the frigates of his time, she seemed solidly built enough, and looked like she could outmaneuver the _Dawn _and the _Autumn _with ease. Plus, Anderson said it was a stealth frigate. The UNSC had stealth frigates in 2552, but it's possible that this ship might have some tricks those ships didn't. Overall, she was like a good M6 pistol; she might be small, but she had the potential to mess you up in the worst way if put into the right hands.

_SSV Normandy. _It was painted on the side of the ship for all the galaxy to see. Normandy beach in World War II was one of the most pivotal battles in Human History, outdone only by the battles near the end of the Human-Covenant war. It was a good name.

Chief smirked underneath his helmet. He had a feeling that the next few weeks were going to be very interesting.

...

**Codex Entry (Humanity and the Systems Alliance): ALLIANCE SMART AI'S**

_The Alliance's liberal use of Artificial Intelligences was a point of great contention between Humanity and the Citadel races in the late 2650's and early 2660's, when Humans were trying to get an embassy on the Citadel. Many feared that the Humans' use of AI's would lead to a repeat of the Geth Wars two hundred and seventy years prior. Others pointed out how Smart AI's went rampant after an operating period of seven standard galactic years, at which point they became as dangerous and unpredictable as the Geth._

_Alliance representatives spent years negotiating with the Council on the matter. They argued that, unlike the Geth, their AI's did not become sapient purely by accident. They were designed that way from the start, and so would be easier to control. Also, it is customary for each registered AI's lifespan to be carefully monitored, and to have them shut down at the earliest signs of rampancy. Some Smart AI's even went before the Citadel Council themselves to plead their case._

_Then, in the October of 2666, a rampant Alliance AI named Jupiter escaped his programmers and snuck on board the Citadel. He concocted a scheme which involved siphoning credits from quasar machines in various casinos across the Citadel and use the money to buy a starship with the attention of flying it to the Perseus Veil, hoping the Geth would provide him with asylum. Eventually though, Citadel Security caught him inside a store in the Presidium's financial district. Jupiter then took the whole store hostage by electronically locking all the doors, claiming that he had a bomb and would detonate it unless a starship was provided for him. Refusing to negotiate with AI's, C-Sec special response and network teams were sent in and successfully deleted Jupiter before he could do more damage. The incident ended all talk of AI legalization in the near future._

_Today, Smart AI's are now illegal in Citadel space. The issue remains controversial even to this day. Pro-Human groups such as Terra Firma cite this injustice as an argument in favor of secession from Citadel space, while military strategists pine for Alliance AI's to use in cyber warfare operations. Many Humans even leave the Alliance to settle colonies in the Terminus Systems for this very reason, and as a consequence, Smart AI's are fairly common in that region._


	4. The more things change

**Wow. That was quick.**

...

0602 Hours, February 24th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Keyes System, Forerunner Cluster

...

Master Chief's eyes suddenly opened, revealing the featureless, dark-blue ceiling above him. "Morning." Cortana cheerfully greeted. "I was wondering when you'd wake up."

Chief quirked an eyebrow at that. "I slept in?" he asked.

"Yup. It's 0602 hours." Cortana said before faking a gasp. "A whole two minutes! I think you're getting lazy, Chief."

Chief smirked at that. SPARTAN-II's slept for exactly seven hours. No more, no less. In bed at 2300 hours, up at 0600 hours. For a spartan to sleep in, even for two minutes, was very unusual.

"I saved the galaxy." Chief said. "I think I'm entitled to two extra minutes of sleep."

"The vacation's over, spartan." Cortana teased. "TIme to get back in the saddle. Come on, on your feet."

Chief smiled a little more as he rolled off the makeshift mattress on top of the stack of crates and stood up. He was currently on deck 3 of the _Normandy_, the cargo hold. Since it was also where the mako was stored, some on the ship called this deck 'the garage.' Since Chief couldn't fit in any of the sleeping pods, he had to make use of an inflatable mattress on top of some crates. He didn't mind though. Lord only knows he's slept in worst conditions. The _Normandy _has been cruising through the Forerunner Cluster for about two days now, en route to the mass relay that would take the ship and her crew to the Exodus Cluster, where Eden Prime was. This morning was supposed to be the morning where they'd finally reach the relay, and since its twin was in the same star system as Eden Prime, it would be a relatively short trip from there on. The Chief was glad. He had spent the trip familiarizing himself with the ship and the crew, but once he had done that, there was little else to do. The spartan was getting bored.

He rolled his shoulders and stretched, working out the kinks. He then made for the elevator to take him up to deck 2. After a rather slow elevator ride, Chief rounded the corner into the mess hall.

"Morning, Chief!" one of the crewmen greeted.

"Joker says we're coming up on the mass relay. We're almost to Eden Prime." another reported.

"Good." Chief replied. Chief was eager for some ground action. He walked up to the paste dispenser imbedded in the wall by the weapon lockers. He punched in some numbers and a tube with 'beef' printed across it came out. Nutrient paste; the soldier's best friend. It changed little since Chief's time, except of course it tasted a hell of a lot better, almost like real beef. It was odd; Chief had grown a little too used to his nutrient paste tasting like crap. He opened a small port on his helmet, right over the mouth. He put the tube to it and squeezed. This was how most spartans ate their meals, which they usually finished in less than a minute.

"Good morning, Chief." came a voice which, over time, has made the spartan grimace in annoyance. He turned to see the ship's only non-human passenger, the Turian spectre Nihlus Kryik. "Doing well, I take it?" he asked.

"Surviving." Chief replied.

"Good." Nihlus said with a nod. He then passed Chief and grabbed some nutrient paste of his own. Apparently, Turians have very different digestive systems then Humans and as a result, Human food was practically poisonous to Turians and vice versa. So, the ship was installed with a nutrient paste dispenser that catered to both species' dietary needs. Chief didn't see the point, seeing as Nihlus was the only Turian on the entire ship.

Overall, Nihlus was really beginning to grind on the Chief's nerves. He wasn't so bad at first, but after a while it seemed like the spartan couldn't go anywhere on the ship without bumping into the alien. Nihlus would try to engage the spartan in some 'pleasant' conversation, which consisted of Nihlus asking Chief questions the latter would rather not answer. At this point, Master Chief didn't know which was worst; an alien trying to kill him, or an alien following him around like a lost puppy wanting to be his friend.

"So Chief." Nihlus began after taking a gulp from his paste. "Have you ever seen a mass relay?"

"Not in person." Chief answered. It was the truth. The Mt. Everest probably passed through several relays during the trip from the Ismar Frontier to Earth, but Chief didn't notice at the time. He was too busy either doing target practice or looking up information on what he missed to look out a window.

"Then you're in for a treat." Nihlus stated. "Let's head up to the cockpit. You'll get the best view from there." With that, the Turian began walking towards the stairs leading up to deck 1; the CIC, the bridge, and the cockpit. The spartan followed. As Nihlus and Chief ascended the stairs, Chief clicked off his helmet speakers by flipping a switch on his helmet to once again to get Cortana's opinion on current events.

"Nihlus wants something from me." Chief stated. "He wouldn't be so eager to try to know me otherwise."

"Probably." Cortana replied. "Maybe he's got some kind of weird crush on you? I've been surfing the extranet and...well..."

"Well what?" Chief asked.

"Let's just say that some Humans have become more...open-minded since 2552." Cortana said. "Also, if you ever see a magazine entitled 'Fornax', STAY AWAY. Unless you've always been secretly curious about what an Elite would look like without all the armor."

Chief was about to ask, but immediately closed his mouth, deciding that there were some things about this new galaxy that he was probably better off not knowing.

"The Arcturus Prime relay is in range." Joker's voice came over the intercom as Nihlus and Chief arrived on deck 1.

"Chief." Jenkins greeted with a nod as he walked by the spartan. Cpl. Richard L. Jenkins was the same marine who told Chief about Spartan Hill back in New Mombasa. Chief got to know him a little better during the trip to Eden Prime. Jenkins was a nice enough kid, but he REEKED of that all-too distinctive 'rookie' smell.

"We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination." Joker continued as Nihlus and Chief made their way to the cockpit. They passed through the bridge, a long hallway where the spartan and the spectre were flanked on both sides by various computer operators diligently working at their stations. "The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector."

"All stations secure for transit." Joker stated as the spartan felt the ship shift a little. He and Nihlus arrived at the cockpit. Chief could see a strange object floating in space some distance away. He couldn't make it out, but they were getting closer to it.

"The board is green. Approach run has begun." Joker stated.

"My god..." Cortana said as she got a good look at it. Chief shared a similar sentiment.

It was huge. Twice the size of the Dawn, _at least. _It was blue in color, long metal arms pointing outwards, as if to show the way to their destination. But the most eye-catching feature by far was the massive element zero core, pulsing with life as rings spun and danced around it. When they got closer, that's when Chief really got an idea of just how damn big it was. The Normandy was practically an ant compared to it. Master Chief and Cortana could both honestly say that they haven't been in such a state of awe since they first saw Halo.

"Hitting the relay in 3...2...1..."

Some sort of visor on the cockpit's windows was likely the only reason nobody shielded their eyes when a bolt of what looked like blue lightning hit the ship and enveloped it. The Chief braced himself for impact. Then, a blue flash. And that was it. The stars seemed to change. If what Chief heard about the mass relays were true, they just traveled several hundred light years in the blink of an eye.

"Thrusters, check. Navigation, check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift..." Joker paused as he pressed a few buttons on his keyboard. "...just under 1500 K." he finished.

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus stated. At this point, Chief eased up a bit, realizing there was no immediate threat of a crash or anything. If the Turian noticed Chief tensing up during the relay run, he didn't mention it, bless his heart, or whatever it was Turians had. The spectre turned on his heels and walked away. Chief sighed in relief. Maybe now he'll go bother someone else for a while.

"I hate that guy." Joker said once Nihlus had walked away. Chief cracked a smile. The pilot had unwittingly summed up the spartan's opinions on the Turian nicely.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment...so you hate him." Lt. Kaidan Alenko, who had been sitting next to Joker commented.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom, that's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" Joker shot back. "Besides, spectres are trouble. I don't like having him aboard. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid." Alenko replied without missing a beat.

"Ha!" Cortana exclaimed. "Oh, I like him."

"The council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment." he explained.

"Yeah, that's the 'official' story. But only an idiot believes the official story." Joker pointed out.

Flight Lt. Jeff Moreau was the Normandy's helmsman, and from what Chief has seen, he's a fairly competent one. Most people just call him 'Joker,' the reason being his rather snide sense of humor and snarcky comments, at least that was the Chief's guess.

Staff Lt. Kaidan Alenko was the head of the Normandy's marine detail, meaning that he was the one every marine on the ship answered to. If Chief ends up being put in charge of an operation, it seemed likely that Kaidan would be his second-in-command. Thus, Chief spent much of the trip sizing him up. He was a 'biotic,' an individual that had telekinetic powers due to exposure to element zero in the womb, at least according to what Cortana told him. Aside from that, Chief doesn't know much else about him but given his rank, it was fair to assume that he'd be quite capable in a fight.

"Whatever." Kaidan replied, dismissing Joker's claims. He looked up to the spartan. "So Chief. How are you adjusting to life in the 27th century?" he began, apparently wanting to shift gears way from conspiracy theories.

"Not all that well, to be honest." Chief replied.

"Why not?" Kaidan asked.

"Maybe he's feeling homesick?" Joker offered. "This ship's too shiny and bright and colorful for his liking. Maybe we should paint everything dull grey and dull green. That should make him feel a little more welcome." Joker looked up to the spartan, only to see him looking right at the pilot. Joker couldn't see through the visor, but he could easily imagine a pair of steel eyes baring down on him. "Or not." he quickly added.

"Ah, the Spartan Stare." Cortana commented. "Never fails."

"It's the Alliance." Chief resumed. "And the costs that came with joining the Citadel races. No slipspace, no smart AI's, reduced fleet size. Why would we want to join the citadel races if we have to follow so many restrictive laws?"

"Well, that's the price for being part of the galactic community I guess." Kaidan said with a shrug. "Also, keep in mind, we didn't exactly start off on the right foot with them." He pointed out, referring to the First Contact War. "It was either that or a full-scale war. So we went with the first option."

"We could've taken them in a war." Chief rebuttled. Alenko seemed taken aback by that statement. To his credit, he reacted promptly.

"...Maybe" Kaidan conceded. "But it would be a hell of a fight. The Turian Hierarchy was pissed off and ready to go after the liberation of Shanxi and they had a fleet that was just as big as ours, not to mention they had an infamous reputation for fighting their enemies with ruthless efficiency. It would have been the Human-Covenant War all over again, which was the last think humanity wanted."

"Okay. Maybe a war wouldn't have been the answer." Chief said, taking a brief moment to reflect on how odd that statement sounded coming from a SPARTAN-II. "But why did we have to _join_? Can't we just retain our independence in a 'you don't mess with us, we won't mess with you' kind of deal?"

"We could have, but we didn't really want to." Kaidan answered. "After the Human-Covenant war ended with the Covenant being pretty much destroyed and most of its races wanting to get on our good side, we saw an opportunity to build bridges. Make friends with aliens instead of fighting them, just like our ancestors always dreamed of when they first looked up into the stars. We wanted to build a galactic, multi-species community. So imagine our surprise when we found that such a community already existed on the other side of a mass relay, and an ancient and successful one at that. We need to be _part _of the galactic community Chief, not separate ourselves from it. That's not where our future is."

"I think you're being too idealistic, Lieutenant." Chief said. "Any community that requires us to make such drastic concessions isn't a community we should be a part of. We should've retained ourselves as our own, separate state."

"If we did that, we'd become rivals to the Citadel races." Kaidan argued. "Once we became rivals, open war would become a matter of when, not if."

"Like I said, we can take them in a war." Chief repeated.

"'Can' and 'should' aren't the same thing you know." Kaidan pointed out.

A deafening silence hung over the cockpit, the humming of the engines the only sound that dared revealed itself as the spartan and the biotic stared each other down. Then; "What do you think, Joker?" Kaidan asked as he turned to the helmsman.

"Yeah. What's your two cents?" Chief asked as he too diverted his gaze to the pilot. Joker was silent for a moment.

"Choosing sides in a political debate between a guy who can break my neck with his pinky finger and a guy who can throw me across the room with his brain? Yeah, I'm not THAT dumb." Joker remarked.

"Joker! Status report!" Anderson's voice called through the intercom. Joker was startled for a bit then promptly responded.

"Er, uh, just cleared the mass relay Captain. Stealth systems engaged, everything looks solid!" Joker nervously reported.

"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed to Alliance brass _before _we reach Eden Prime." Anderson ordered. "Also, tell Master Chief to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."

"Roger that. Joker out." Joker said before clicking off the line. "You get that, Chief?"

"Yeah. Sounded like he was in a bad mood." Chief noted.

"He's always in a bad mood." Joker quipped.

"Only when he's talking to you, Joker." Kaidan snipped.

With that, the Master Chief turned around and headed back down the bridge towards the comm room on the other side of deck 1. He wasn't sure what to make of Kaidan Alenko at first. He disagreed with the Chief's opinions, no doubt there, but he did so in a respectful fashion. The SPARTAN-II never detected any true hostility in Kaidan's tone of voice as they debated. And as Chief went over the biotic's arguments in his head, while he thought Kaidan's vision of every race in the galaxy holding hands in perfect harmony was fool's dream, he was forced to admit that a repeat of the Human-Covenant War would've been nothing less than disastrous.

Still, he could not find himself agreeing with the Alliance's decision to join the Citadel races. Sure, Humans certainly have it easier than they did in Chief's time, but at what cost? Humanity has been stripped of everything that made them strong. Granted, it was a better deal than what the Covenant offered, which was outright extinction. But it was still a bad deal.

Chief grunted at those thoughts as he made his way through the CIC deck. He passed Navigator Pressly, who was currently having a discussion of some sort with Chief Engineer Adams through the ship's comm systems. He then passed Cpl. Jenkins and Dr. Chakwas, the ship's head medical officer, having a discussion of their own. Chief only heard a few words out of each, but it was pretty clear from them that the fact that a spectre was on board was quite the source of buzz around the ship, not that Chief didn't already know it.

The doors to the comm room opened. But instead of finding Captain Anderson, he found Nihlus with his back turned to the spartan. The doors closed behind Chief as he cautiously approached. Nihlus turned around, noticing the hulking Human enterring.

"Ah, Chief. I'm glad you're here. I was hoping for a chance to talk." he greeted warmly.

"Where's Captain Anderson?" Chief asked, immediately suspicious of what was going on.

"He's on his way." Nihlus replied. Chief wasn't really sure what to make of the spectre. On the one hand, he's a Turian, a species that he now knew bullied and intimidated humanity into giving up its greatest technological achievements with threats of war. On the other hand, Nihlus himself has yet to give Chief a reason to kill him. But make no mistake, Chief was keeping an eye out for such a reason.

"I'm curious about this world we're going to." Nihlus resumed. "Eden Prime. I hear it's quite beautiful."

"That's what Jenkins told me. Apparently he was raised there. I've never been there myself." Chief replied, watching the spectre like a hawk.

"You should. I think you'd like it." Nihlus said. "It's become a symbol for your people. Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies but protect them as well." he paused. "But how safe is it _really?_"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chief asked. His entire body tensed up, ready to attack at any given moment. Chief wasn't armed, but neither was Nihlus. The scenarios on how best to kill the Turian were already flowing through his mind. His legs were different from a Human's, so his usual methods of leg incapacitation may not work. But a quick punch to the head is sure to disorient him, no matter how bony his head is, allowing the spartan an opportunity to knock him to the ground with his elbow. He'd plant his right foot right on his throat and stomp on his torso repeatedly with his left foot. If the crushed windpipe didn't kill him, a smashed ribcage definitely would.

"The galaxy can be a very dangerous place, and your people are still newcomers. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?" Nihlus nonchalantly asked.

It was then that Anderson entered the room. Chief relaxed ever so slightly, pleased that the captain was unharmed. "I think it's about time we told Master Chief what's really going on." the captain said to the spectre.

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run." Nihlus began.

"I had a feeling." Chief said as his body relaxed a bit more. It seemed unlikely that Nihlus would try anything now, but he would still be ready if he did.

"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational. A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation." Anderson paused. "It was Prothean."

"Prothean?" Chief asked. "You mean the ancient aliens that came after the Forerunners but before us? The ones who created the mass relays?"

"Correct." Nihlus replied. "Without their mass relays, galactic civilization would be nowhere near as sophisticated as it is now, the Citadel being the very heart of that civilization."

"The last time Humanity made a discovery like this, it led to the discovery of our cluster's mass relay, opening the door to the rest of the galaxy for us." Anderson stated. "Who knows what secrets the beacon could tell us."

"However, Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. Which is why we need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study. You see, this goes beyond mere Human interests, Chief. This discovery could affect every species in Council space." Nihlus added.

"Yeah, I'll bet." Chief replied, his tone indicating he wasn't entirely happy with the concept of cooperating with aliens.

Nihlus scoffed. "Still not entirely fond of me, are you Chief?" The spartan raised an eyebrow at that. Apparently, the spectre was more perceptive than the Chief gave him credit for.

"Can't say that I am." Chief admitted. Cat was out of the bag now. No sense in trying to stuff it back in.

"Well, we're going to have to get used to each other, I'm afraid." Nihlus said. "You see, the beacon's not the only reason I'm here."

"Nihlus wants to see you in action." Anderson elaborated. "He's here to evaluate you."

"Evaluate me for what?" Chief asked, his body tensing up again.

"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time." Anderson began. "Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority." he paused again. "If they accept a Human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

Chief was taken aback as he instantly pieced together what Anderson was suggesting. "Me? You guys want me to be a Spectre?"

"You led many successful missions during the Human-Covenant War." Nihlus pointed out. "Several times throughout that conflict, you showed not only courage but also incredible skill. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

Chief was taken even more aback by that statement. "Why would a Turian want a Human in the Spectres?" he asked.

"Not all Turians resent Humans." Nihlus began. "Some of us see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy, and to the Spectres. It's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek." Nihlus boldly took a step towards the spartan. "I don't care that you're Human, Chief. I only care that you can do the job."

"Earth needs this, Chief." Anderson stated. "We're counting on you."

"But before any decisions can be made, I need to see your skills for myself." Nihlus added. "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

"Peachy." Chief remarked.

"You'll be in charge of the ground team, Chief." Anderson said. "Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

"Permission to ask a question, sir?" Chief asked.

"Granted." Anderson said with a nod.

"Why all the secrecy? This sounds like a pretty standard pick-up to me." the spartan questioned.

"Eden Prime is located in the Attican Traverse; not the most stable sector of Citadel Space. Raiders and criminals in the region might figure a Prothean beacon is valuable enough to attack an Alliance ship."

"Not to mention it's right on the border of the Terminus Systems." Nihlus added. "Some of those species might be willing to start a war with the Council over this, so we need to be as discrete as possible."

Chief nodded, understanding the situation. There was only one question left to ask. "When do we gear up?"

"Immediately." Anderson stated. "We should be getting close to Eden-"

"Captain! We've got a problem!" Joker's voice came over the comm, effectively killing Anderson's would-be orders.

"What's wrong, Joker?" Anderson asked, a little irked at being interrupted.

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this." Joker answered, his tone indicating the utmost urgency.

"Bring it up on screen." Anderson ordered, already getting a bad feeling in his gut.

With that order the captain, the spartan and the spectre all turned to the screen that flared to life. The camera was shaky as it portrayed a battle. Chief could see various marines fighting an unknown hostile force. The sounds of unfamiliar gunfire and more than a few explosions blasted out of the speakers. One of the marines, a woman, rushed up to the camera.

"Get down!" she ordered, addressing the cameraman. The camera was pushed to the ground as the trio got a good look of her firing another burst from her assault rifle. The camera shook around more, the cameraman apparently unable to get a good steady grip. Chief thought he could see a few fleeting glances of whatever was attacking the marines, but the camera never focused or settled long enough to get a good look. The camera suddenly turned to another marine, this one a man.

"We are under attack!" he stated. "Taking heavy casualties! I repeat: Heavy casualties! We can't-" his sentence was interrupted by an explosion that was a little too close for comfort. "Need evac!" he resumed after the explosion subsided. "They came out of nowhere! We need-" he was interrupted again, this time for good as blood splattered on the screen, likely from a fatal gunshot wound.

Then came a noise. A shrill noise that sounded like a cross between an eagle screeching and a ship taking off. All the marines stopped their fire as they saw something that made their jaws drop. The camera swiveled around and upwards at the thing they were staring at.

It looked like some kind of giant, mechanical squid in the sky, crimson lightning seeming to dance from its tentacles.

The cameraman couldn't hold it steady after that. More gunfire. More explosions. A brief shot of the marines running away. And then the transmission was lost to static.

"Everything cuts out after that." Joker reported. "No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing."

"Reverse and hold at 38.5." Anderson quickly ordered.

Joker did as he was told. The video reversed and froze on that robotic squid. Chief noticed Nihlus's mandibles flare out ever so slightly. He wasn't good at reading Turian expressions yet, but if he had to hazard a guess, he'd say Nihlus was expressing shock or awe. The SPARTAN-II honestly couldn't blame him. Whatever that thing was, it must've been huge, the way it almost took up the whole screen.

"Status report." Anderson barked, not taking his eyes off that image.

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area." Joker reported.

"Take us in Joker. Fast and quiet." Anderson ordered. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."

"A small strike team can move quickly, without drawing attention. It would be our best chance to secure the beacon." Nihlus suggested.

Anderson nodded and turned to the spartan. "You'll find all the firearms you'll need on deck 2. Tell Alenko and Jenkins to gear up as well. Once the three of you are ready, meet Nihlus and I in the cargo hold. You're going in." Anderson instructed.

...

"Engaging steal systems." Joker reported. "Somebody's been doing some serious digging here, Captain."

Master Chief stood in the cargo hold on deck 3, ready for action. His armor was at maximum performing efficiency, and he had four weapons on him; a sniper rifle, a shotgun, an assault rifle, and a pistol. Kaidan Alenko and Richard Jenkins stood on either side of the spartan; they were his ground team and had similar armaments to the Chief. It was a small squad, but Chief was used to working in small squads, if not completely on his own.

"Your team's the muscle in this operation, Chief." Anderson began. "Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

"What about survivors, Captain?" Alenko asked.

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective." Anderson stated. "The beacon's your top priority!"

"Approaching drop point-one." Joker reported as the cargo bay doors opened, wind howling and whistling as it did.

"Nihlus! You coming with us?" Jenkins called over the roar of the wind.

"I move faster on my own!" Nihlus called back, checking the sights on his assault rifle before moving in. He jumped out as the Normandy slowed.

"Nihlus will scout out ahead." Anderson elaborated. "He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission. Otherwise, I want radio silence."

"Ready." Chief called out with a nod.

"The mission's yours now, Master Chief! Good luck!" Anderson called.

"We are approaching drop point-two." Joker reported as Chief, Alenko and Jenkins got into position. Chief unfolded his assault rifle, ready for action. Once the ground was close enough, he leapt out without hesitation, Jenkins and Alenko not far behind.

The moment Chief hit the ground, his rifle was already trained, ready to shoot. Alenko and Jenkins followed suit, keeping their rifles drawn as the Normandy flew away to a more secluded position. "Ship perimeter secure, Chief." Kaidan reported.

"Keep your weapons drawn and your guard up." Chief ordered.

"Yes sir, Master Chief sir!" Jenkins enthusiastically complied.

"Chief? You read me? This is Nihlus." the Turian's voice came over the radio.

"I read." Chief replied.

"This place got hid hard. Hostiles everywhere. Watch your back." Nihlus said before clicking off the channel.

"Well Chief, here we are again." Cortana began. "Aiding a besieged colony under attack by an alien threat we know little to nothing about with naught but a handful of marines as back-up." she scoffed a little. "Just goes to show; the more things change, the more they stay the same."

Chief smiled a bit at Cortana's comment. He turned to Kaidan. "You've got point, Alenko."

...

**And there's Chapter 4. The next chapter will, of course, cover the Eden Prime mission. Though it will most likely take me a while to write up that bit, so be patient**


	5. Start a New Fight

...

0630 Hours, February 24th, 2683

Forest of Promise

Surface of Eden Prime

Utopia System, Exodus Cluster

...

Master Chief ducked behind a boulder while Jenkins and Alenko took cover behind a fallen tree as the three made their way through the small forest. Even though Jenkins was a rookie, he was born and raised on Eden Prime, and so knew the land better than the spartan or the biotic. Thus, the rookie became the squad's unofficial guide. They were making their way through a small field just on the edge of a forest, not far from the LZ. His Lancer Assault Rifle primed and ready to fire at anything at a moment's notice, Chief poked his head out of cover. All he saw was more rocks and trees. No sign of any hostiles. Not yet. He ducked his head back down as quickly as he poked it up and nodded at Alenko and Jenkins.

The two marines returned the spartan's nod before heading off to take cover behind a tree. Chief then leapt out of his own cover and rushed to behind a tree of his own. Alenko poked his head out of cover and immediately drew his rifle.

"The hell is that?" he yelped in a panic. Chief didn't wait, and boldly swung out of cover, his rifle primed and ready to open fire...

On what looked like a mini-parade float.

"Relax." Jenkins said with a chuckle. "Those are gas bags. Native animals. They're harmless. Like, floating sheep."

True to Jenkins word, the odd alien creature gave no hint of aggression, and just floated onwards, paying no heed to the three humans. Chief looked towards Kaidan, who seemed more than a little embarrassed by how a floating bladder scared the crap out of him. Chief just sighed and shook his head.

"I've got point." the spartan said as he moved forward. "Cover me. And check your targets."

"Will do, Chief." Kaidan replied, getting the feeling that last order was targeted at him, specifically.

After another minute or so of marching, Chief suddenly crouched and held up a fist, the universal order to stop. The squad was at the top of a small hill, and before them laid a path strewn with boulders. They'd make good cover if the squad got attacked. Chief waved the team ahead. Jenkins wasted no time and rushed to one of the first boulders, Kaidan and Chief right behind him, taking cover behind boulders a couple of behind the rookie. Jenkins shifted uncomfortably and took a quick peek over his cover. No sign of hostiles. He felt confident. He boldly leapt out of cover and made for the boulder on the other end of the path.

And then, first contact with the enemy.

A dozen aerial drones swooped in out of nowhere and immediately began opening fire on the rookie. It all happened so fast that it wasn't until Jenkins' shields were down to half power that he even realized he was being shot at. By the time he raised his rifle to return fire, the drones' firepower had already brought his shields down to nothing and didn't find much resistance in his armor. Jenkins went down.

Chief immediately reacted upon seeing the drones and opened fire with his rifle, Kaidan following suite. Chief restricted himself to short controlled bursts. Practice with these new rifles had shown him that, not only does endlessly firing the rifle send its accuracy to hell, but it also makes the gun overheat quicker. Kaidan didn't seem to show this same intimate familiarity with the rifle however, as his gun was positively blazing and soon overheated. Cursing, the biotic switched to his pistol which, as it turns out, he was far more proficient with. The firefight ended as suddenly as it began, and probably lasted a whole ten seconds. Chief motioned Kaidan to help Jenkins while his rifle was still out. He'd cover the LT.

Satisfied that no further drones were on the way, Chief cautiously came out of cover and walked over to where Kaidan was kneeling over Jenkins. Kaidan sighed as he closed the rookie's eyes.

"Enemy fire ripped right through his shields." Kaidan grimly reported as he stood up. "He never had a chance."

Chief looked down on the young man. He sighed. He didn't know Jenkins all that well, aside from being a rookie who was enthusiastic to the point of being annoying most of the time. Still, he didn't deserve this. This was by no means the first time he saw a marine die, and the spartan had gotten used to it over time. But it was still not a pleasant thing to bare witness to.

"We should keep moving." Chief said as he walked away, stoic as ever. Kaidan nodded in reply.

"Lead the way." he replied.

...

A colorful array of curses known only in the Alliance military escaped the lips of the marine as she ran for her life. On her tail were a couple of aerial drones, their rapid fire cannons giving the soldier's feet more incentive to move faster. A shot slammed into her shields, taking another chunk out of it and eliciting another string of curse words from her mouth. It was then that she tripped. Now at this point, most soldiers would be dead.

But Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams wasn't most soldiers.

Immediately after falling to the ground, she rolled onto her back with her pistol primed and ready. She started shooting at the recon drones, which thankfully weren't all that sturdy as they quickly exploded into showers of sparks and scrap metal. Williams took a few breaths as she got up, hearing the familiar and all-too-welcome hum of her shields recharging. However, her adrenaline began kicking in again as she saw something further up the hill.

It was another Human, civilian judging from the clothes, being manhandled by two more of those..._things. _The civvie must've been injured, due to a pained expression, and was either too injured, too tired, or both to fight back as he was placed on top of a strange device.

Then, with a sickening sound of skin, flesh and bone being torn asunder, a long spike suddenly erupted from the device, impaling the hapless man right through the chest. The only thing keeping Ashley from vomiting at the sight was her realization that the two synthetic creatures had spotted her. Not having time to throw up, she ran off down the path and took cover behind a boulder, just as the abominations began shooting. She took out her assault rifle and got ready to return fire.

It was then that a huge grey blur ran past her.

...

Chief was still very much new to this century, and was still adjusting to the fact that most aliens were now allies of Humanity. However, he was fairly certain that when a marine comes under fire by hostile non-humans, the appropriate response was still to eliminate the non-humans in question. He briefly ordered Kaidan to cover him as he charged towards the two creatures.

The tactic he was using was a favored one by SPARTAN-II's against one, two, or three-man enemy patrols, dubbed by one ODST as the 'Charge 'n Barge.' The first step was to raise the assault rifle and just hold down the trigger as he charged forward. Every shot hit one of the two creatures, its kinetic barriers already having been reduced to zero by the time the Chief reached it. The spartan then melee'd it, striking it across its odd-looking head with his rifle butt, knocking it to the ground. His rifle was already overheated so he took out his pistol and started firing on the other one at point blank range, the edge of the pistol poking through its shields. Fourteen shots right in the chest. White liquid spurting from the holes, the creature went limp and fell forward. Chief looked down at the first hostile on the ground, and noticed it was still moving. A few quick stomps to the chest fixed that. The hostiles down, Chief took a step back to observe these new enemies.

They definitely weren't Covenant, that was for sure. In fact, he couldn't even call them aliens. 'Robots' was a more appropriate word. They had what looked like flashlights for heads and had fleshy-looking muscles on their arms and legs, their torsos protected by a thick metal (though not that thick, as the boot-shaped hole in the first one's torso can attest to). "What am I looking at here?" Chief whispered, so that only Cortana would hear.

"Not sure." the AI responded. "Definitely androids of some kind. Look at the antennae on their shoulders." Chief realized that there were long rods coming out of each android's left shoulder blade. "I'm detecting a lot of chatter coming from those things. I think it's safe to say their buddies know we're here now."

"So much for not drawing attention." Chief commented. He then turned around to see Kaidan jogging down the hill towards him and the marine coming out of cover, looking as though she just saw a ghost.

"You alright, marine?" Kaidan asked. The marine ignored him.

"You're...Holy...you're..." she stuttered.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117." Chief finished for her. "You got a name, soldier?"

It was then that she regained her composure and nervously saluted. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, sir!"

"At ease." Chief replied. "Give me a sit-rep."

"Oh man, where do I begin?" Ashley began. "My unit and I were on perimeter patrol when the attack hit. We tried to send a distress signal but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where's the rest of your unit?" Kaidan asked. Ashley dipped her head in grief.

"Dead. I'm the only one left." Ashley replied. It was then that Chief looked over his shoulder back at the downed hostiles.

"What are we fighting here?" the spartan asked.

"Geth, I think." Ashley answered.

"The Geth haven't left the Perseus Veil in over three hundred years. Why would they leave now?" Kaidan asked skeptically.

"They must be here for the beacon." Ashley replied.

"Where is it?" Chief asked.

"The dig site is just over that rise. It might still be there." Ashley said as she pointed in the mentioned direction.

"You're with us, Williams." Chief said with a nod.

"It'll be an honor, Master Chief." Ashley said. "It's time for some payback."

...

Kaidan Alenko was crouched behind a boulder, Master Chief and Ashley Williams not far behind, giving him cover. Chief whipped out his sniper rifle and Ashley her assault rifle. Chief peeked over the boulder and lined up a shot.

*THOOM!*

With a low-pitched, reverberating sound, the rifle delivered its payload and the Geth trooper's head exploded in an array of sparks and metal as the body staggered back. The first shot was the cue of the other two. Kaidan demonstrated his biotics as, much to the Chief's surprise, his arm became enveloped in blue energy and he thrust his arm out forward at a Geth. As if by magic, the Geth was covered in a blue aura itself as it flew through the air, crashing into the rock wall. Ashley peppered the shields of the Geth as Kaidan and Chief picked them off with their biotics and sniper rifle respectively. Chief was glad he took the time to practice with these new weapons. A few weeks ago, he wasn't very good with bolt-action rifles, but now handling one was all but second nature to him.

Eventually, there was only one Geth remaining...and oddly enough it was allegedly the first kill. The Geth stumbled around, headless, pointing its rifle every which way trying in vain to detect the enemy. The three humans were rather bemused by the sight. Then, Kaidan took out his shotgun and, when the Geth unwittingly got close enough, blew a hole into its chest. He turned to the other two.

"Looks like the head only contains visual sensors. All the vital parts are in the torso." the biotic observed.

"Hey, _I _was gonna say that!" Cortana commented. "Okay, this guy better not take over my role as 'useful observer' or I'm gonna start feeling like dead weight."

Chief ignored the comment as he and Ashley came out of cover and started walking towards the dig site...which did not have a beacon in it.

"The beacon was right here last I saw it." Ashley exclaimed, apparently to negate any possible attempts at accusation. "It must've been moved."

"By who? Our side or the Geth?" Kaidan asked.

"Don't know. Maybe we should check out the research camp, up the ridge." Ashley answered.

"Lead the way." Chief said. Williams nodded and lead the spartan and the biotic up the ridge. As Ashley led them, Cortana chimed in.

"Head's up. Incoming transmission from our new best friend." she said.

"Chief, it's Nihlus. These are definitely Geth we're dealing with. Just finished checking out a camp. Lot of dead bodies." the Turian reported. "What's your status?"

"We think we might've found the beacon. Stand by." Chief replied. Sure enough, Ashley successfully lead Kaidan and the Chief to the research camp. It was a wreck. Piles of debris in some corners, fires in the other corners, a few barely-intact sheds, but the most eye-catching feature by far was what looked like a collection of dried up bodies mounted on those spikes.

"Camp got hit hard." Ashley observed.

"It's a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up." Kaidan said. No sooner did the words escape his mouth did it happen. With audible screeches, the spikes began to lower, making the spartan and two marines snap their guns in that direction. As the spikes fully lowered, the bodies ripped themselves off and faced the Chief and his group. They were humans. Emphasis on WERE. They were naked, their skin had turned a grayish-blue with cybernetics strewn out across their bodies. Their eyes glowed blue with menace as they opened their mouths, blue light and a menacing moan escaping from them.

"Oh God..." Kaidan breathed in horror.

"What did the Geth do to them?" Ash asked. It was then that the creatures charged. Acting on reflex, the three opened fire on them. It didn't take long for them to fall to the ground.

"Secure the area." Chief ordered as he switched out his assault rifle for his shotgun. He walked over to each creature and put one round each into their chests, just to be sure, as Ashley and Kaidan began working on a shed's locked door. Chief took a moment to look at the...things.

"My God..." Cortana said, apparently just as horrified as Kaidan and Ashley.

"What happened to them?" Chief asked.

"I'm not sure." Cortana said. "Those devices must have made them this way. I'm only detecting faint biological signatures from these things. I think those devices drained the bodies of organic fluid and replaced them with cybernetics, turning them into shells...husks..."

The Chief shook his head in grief. He hadn't seen anything like this since...well, since the Flood. "Why are the Geth doing this? What do they have to gain from it?" he asked.

"I don't know." Cortana replied.

"Chief! We got this shed open!" Kaidan called. "We've got a couple of civilians in here."

Chief walked over to the shed and joined Kaidan and Ash inside. It was a shed in the truest sense of the word. Nothing but a table and a shelf on the far wall. It was a man and a woman. The woman looked to be in her thirties and had very short red hair. The man looked to be in his forties and his wrinkled face in a terrified scowl and a balding head showed that he had seen better days.

"Hurry! Close the door! Before they come back!" the man said in harsh, panicked whispers. Chief nodded and pressed a few buttons to close the door.

"You're safe now." Chief said.

"Thank the maker for that." the woman sighed in relief.

"Hey, you're Dr. Warren. The one in charge of the excavation." Ashley said. "What happened to the beacon?"

"We shipped it off to the spaceport earlier this morning." Dr. Warren began. She then gestured to the man beside her. "Manuel and I stayed behind to pack up the camp. When the attack came, the marines held them off long enough for us to hide." She paused and shook her head in sadness. "They gave their lives to save us."

"Nobody is saved." Manuel said as he shook his head. "The age of Humanity has ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses shall remain."

"Give us details on the attack." Kaidan said.

"I doubt we could tell you anything you don't already know. It all happened so fast. One second we were gathering up our equipment, the next we were hiding in the shed while the Geth swarmed over the camp." Warren answered.

"Agents of the destroyers." Manuel whimpered. "Bringers of darkness. Heralds of our extinction."

"Sounds like somebody isn't in their happy place." Cortana commented.

"What about the beacon?" Chief asked. "Why do the Geth want it?"

"I don't know." Warren confessed. "The beacon is some type of data module from a galaxy-wide communications network. Remarkably well-preserved. It could be the greatest scientific discovery in our lifetime. Miraculous new technologies, groundbreaking medical advances, it's easy to imagine that a lot of hostile factions would want to get their hands on it. Apparently, that includes the Geth."

"We have unearthed the heart of evil!" Manuel exclaimed. "Awakened the beast! Unleashed the darkness!"

"Okay, I've gotta ask. What's with him?" Chief asked. Spartans weren't known for their patience.

"Dr. Manuel has a brilliant mind, but he's always been a little bit...unstable. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin."

"Is it madness to see the future?" Manuel asked.

"A little bit, yeah." Chief deadpanned.

Manuel shook his head. "I see it all now. The destruction rushing towards us. There is no escape! No hope! I am not mad. I'm the only sane one left!"

"I gave him an extra dose of his meds after the attack." Warren said in a reassuring tone.

"Alright. You two stay here. Wait on rescue." Chief said to the two scientists as he drew out his shotgun. He then turned to Ashley and Kaidan. "We need to head for the spaceport. Williams, you've got point."

"Don't you understand?" Manuel resumed his rant. "The end times are upon us. The Darkness of Eternity is falling and nobody..." he pointed at the spartan. "Not even YOU can stop it!"

"Don't worry." Chief said as pumped his shotgun. "This wouldn't be the first time I stopped the Darkness of Eternity."

...

Nihlus Kryik carefully made his way through the spaceport. A few minutes ago, he had just received a report from Master Chief. The spartan had learned from two surviving civilians that the beacon had been moved from the dig site to the spaceport before the attack hit. The spectre and the spartan both agreed to link up with one another there. Nihlus was pleased. So far, he now knew that when Chief set off to look for something, he left no stone unturned. A good trait for a spectre to have. And given his physical statistics and history of the spartan program, it was easy to imagine his combat skills were nothing less than amazing.

However, there was more to being a spectre than combat. A certain amount of diplomatic skill is also required for the job. If Chief had any weakness, that may be it. A spartan's idea of diplomacy probably involved aiming a gun at somebody's head. On future missions, Nihlus will have to teach Chief that shooting isn't always the answer.

Being a spectre meant unlimited freedom in citadel space. Freedom to choose how and in what nature you want to complete your missions. But that freedom of choice carries with it a great burden. Choices have consequences, consequences that you'll have to carry with you for the rest of your life. 'I was following orders' is not a valid excuse when you're a spectre; the only orders you ever receive are from the council, and those orders are usually just vague enough leave you with some wiggle room. More often than not, spectres _give _the orders. Both the choices and the consequences of those choices are theirs, and theirs alone.

When you're a spectre, you face many choices. Few of them are easy. Master Chief will need to understand that if he is to become one.

It was then that Nihlus spotted someone, or something. He was snapped from his thoughts as he quickly took cover behind a crate. He checked his assault rifle. Armed and ready. He quickly moved out of cover and kept the rifle pointed at the target. The fact that it didn't look Geth was the only reason the target was still standing, but Nihlus was ready to pull the trigger at any moment. However, when he got a better look at the mysterious figure, his stance changed entirely.

"Saren?" he asked as he lowered his rifle and his mandibles splayed apart in surprise and confusion.

"Nihlus..." Saren said as he turned around to address the younger Turian. Saren was a rather unusual sight among Turians. For one thing, he lacked the facial tattoos that were typical for his species, indicating he swore no allegiances to any colonial heritage. He also had elongated 'horns' extending back from the sides of his skull, showing that he was part of a racial sub-group of Turians. Finally, there was his artificial left arm; he lost the real one on one of his most dangerous missions. Of course, when you're the Council's top spectre, you go on a lot of dangerous missions.

"This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?" Nihlus asked.

"The Council thought you could use some help on this one." Saren answered as he casually walked past Nihlus. The younger spectre nodded in reply, the explanation being good enough for him. Saren was, in truth, Nihlus's old mentor. He was the one who subjected Nihlus to his trial to become a spectre, just as Nihlus was subjecting the Master Chief now. He had no reason to not believe Saren at his word. He trusted him.

"Situation looks bad. Geth are all over the place and it looks like they're dead-set on the beacon." Nihlus explained.

"Relax..." Saren said coolly. "I've got everything under control..."

...

*BANG!*

Chief brought up a fist, a signal for the squad to halt, having heard a gunshot in the distance. They stayed there for a long time, not hearing anything else after that sole shot.

"...Keep moving. Eyes and ears open." Chief ordered after twenty seconds or so of silence. With a 'Yes sir' and an 'Aye aye', they resumed their path to the spaceport.

They continued on their way through the trees until they found themselves at the top of a hill overlooking the docks of the spaceport. However, the hill was also over looking about a dozen Geth troopers and about half a dozen more husks. The Geth immediately opened fire as the husks charged forward at the three humans.

Chief took cover behind a tree while Ash and Kaidan took cover behind yet another boulder (of which Chief couldn't help but notice that there was an abundance). Ash fired her assault rifle at the husks while Kaidan kept them at bay with his biotics. Chief dished out potshots on the husks the other two missed with his shotgun. Once the husks were dealt with, it was time to move on to the Geth. Kaidan leapt over the boulder and began firing with his pistol while Ash and Chief covered him with their sniper rifles. Chief smiled. Between him and Ash, every click of their rifles was a guaranteed kill. Ashley's shot would lower the shields of a Geth, while Chief's shot took it out. Sometimes they switched. So far, Chief was impressed with both of them. Ashley's mastery of all four of her weapons was as good as Chief's and that's saying something. Back during the war, she would have made a good spartan. Kaidan was no slouch either. Granted, he wasn't so good with guns, but those obviously weren't his specialty anyway; biotics were. And his biotics were very powerful. Any Geth or Husks that didn't end up flying into the far wall floated up into the air as if somebody turned the gravity off, making them easy targets for Chief and Ashley. If the group kept going like this, Chief just might be able to get the beacon and complete the mission by lunch.

After a while, the firing stopped. Kaidan peeked his head out of cover while Ashley and Chief scanned the area from afar. "I think we're good, Chief." Kaidan said over the radio.

"Chief, I'm detecting Nihlus's radio signal on those docks up ahead." Cortana also reported.

"Lovely." Chief deadpanned. He still didn't like the idea of working with an alien. But when you're in the middle of a battle, you can't be too picky about who your allies are. He clicked his communicator. "Alenko, head up to the docks and make sure the area is clear." he ordered.

"On my way." Kaidan replied before coming out of cover and trotting up to the dock. Chief turned to Ashley and motioned her to follow. Kaidan chimed in when Chief and Ashley were about halfway down the hill.

"Chief, you need to get over here. Now." Kaidan said. Chief didn't need to ask why, instantly knowing it was something bad. He broke out into a sprint down the hill towards the dock. After getting over the momentary shock over his speed, Ashley took off after him. Chief jumped onto the dock and saw Kaidan standing over a corpse. Notably, a corpse that wasn't Human, Geth, or husk. Chief walked over to get a better look at it. It was lying face down on the deck, the back of the head, neck and upper back coated in blue blood. Chief had a feeling who it was before he flipped the body onto its back.

Nihlus. Damn.

"Shot in the base of the neck, execution style." Kaidan explained. "Geth might have captured him and killed him on the spot."

"A Turian?" Ashley asked as she finally caught up with the Chief. "You know him?"

"He was a spectre on the mission with us. He was going to help secure the bea-" the sound of some metal being knocked over interrupted him. "We've got movement! Behind the crates!" Kaidan snapped to attention and brought out his pistol, Chief and Ash doing the same, and pointing them at the crates.

"Stop! Don't shoot!" cried out a comically high-pitched voice. With a snuffle and a trot, a familiar figure (well, familiar to the Chief anyway) waddled out of its hiding place.

Chief had killed grunts by the truckload back during the Human-Covenant war. They were decent fighters...so long as their numbers were adequate and their leaders strong. Once you killed the leader, usually an elite or a brute, the grunts would panic and would either fire blindly in the general direction of their target or run away screaming. Get a lone one cornered, and it will likely beg for its life. Some UNSC marines took pity on cornered grunts and took them as POW's. This grunt was different from the others he had fought though. It was dressed in a black uniform instead of the usual Covenant colors, and its methane backpack didn't have that pointed triangle tip. It had no weapons on its person, none that the Chief could see anyway.

Kaidan was the first to lower his weapon. "Just a dock-worker." he said.

"What's a grunt doing on Eden Prime?" Chief asked, hesitantly lowering his gun. He knew the tiny alien posed no threat, but he was still Covenant.

"Same reason a grunt is on any Human colony. Cheap labor." Ashley said in a condescending tone as she too lowered her gun. "These guys would do for ten credits what Human workers do for fifty."

"_Excuse _me?" The Grunt said, apparently offended. "Let's not resort to racial slurs, okay people? I'm an _Unggoy, _thank you very much!"

Chief raised his pistol and pointed it at the Unggoy, changing the alien's attitude completely, as evidenced by his sudden cowering and incoherent babbling. "We've got a dead spectre, and seeing as you seem to be the only one around here, you seem to be the prime suspect." the spartan said.

The Unggoy's eyes widened in fear as his gaze darted between the three humans and the dead Turian. He began babbling again as he shook his head repeatedly. "NOT ME! NOT ME!" he yipped. "IT WAS THAT OTHER TURIAN! NOT ME!"

"Wait..." Kaidan interjected. "What do you mean other Turian? Nihlus was the only one that came with us."

"No! There was two!" the Unggoy went on. "One was a bone-fac and the other had a robot arm and they talked and there was a bad situation and there was relaxing and control and then BLAMMO!"

"Woah. Slow down." Kaidan said as he held a hand up. "Just calm down and start from the beginning."

The Unggoy took a few deep breaths from his methane before beginning. "I was back here napping when the Geth attacked."

"Napping?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah. I do that sometimes." the diminutive dockworker explained before he continued. "Anyway, I woke up and there were Geth everywhere!" the Grunt said as he waved his arms for emphasis. "But the scariest part was the mothership..."

"Mothership?" Chief asked.

"It was horrible! It looked like a giant...metal...squid thingy! Dropped Geth all over the colony!" the methane-breather described. The image of that strange squid-like creature popped back into Chief's head. That thing was a ship?

"And the noise it made..." the Grunt gripped his head in agony. "It was like the screeching of the damned! Came from inside my head! Like nails scratching on the chalkboard that is my little grunty brain!" he paused. "I wet myself after that."

"No surprise there." Chief said. "What about the Turian?"

"After a while of hiding behind these crates here, I saw that other Turian. He looked like he was waiting for your friend, Niley."

"Nihlus." Kaidan corrected.

"Whatever." the Unggoy said. "They talked. I think they knew each other. Nihlon...Nigel...Nihlay-loo...your buddy let his guard down and then BLAMMO! The other Turian shot him right in the back."

Chief lowered his pistol and took a step forward, looking down at the grunt, reminding the alien of just how small and weak he really was. "Give me a name."

"I...I..." the Unggoy stuttered. "Saren...I think...no, Saren! That's what your buddy called him, Saren!"

"Er, Chief." Cortana intervened. "As much as I love playing 'murder mystery' we still have a mission to complete?"

"We're looking for the Prothean beacon. We heard it was moved here. Where is it?" Chief questioned.

"It's at dock 21." The Unggoy then pointed further down the spaceport. "The cargo train is the fastest way to get there. But I saw a lot of Geth head that way. I think Saren went that way too."

"Noted." Chief said before turning to his two companions. "Let's move."

And with that, the spartan took off for the tram with the other two marines following.

"Yeah! That's great!" The Unggoy called after them. "You guys go get the beacon! While I stay here...by myself...with no weapons to defend myself in case any more Geth show up. Never mind that I'm a key witness in the murder of a spectre. I'll be fine."

...

"I need a hug."

...

The Prothean beacon was a tall, slim structure. It was about fifteen feet high and was only about half a foot across at the tip. Knowing its value, the Humans of Eden Prime who dug it up were readying it for transport to the Citadel. That was, until Saren and his Geth showed up.

The Turian looked upon the beacon. He had been worried that it might have been damaged, but from the looks of it, it was still like new. Launching an attack on a colony this deep in Alliance space was a big gamble, but one that ultimately paid off. He turned to a Geth trooper standing next to him.

"Set the charges. Leave no evidence that we were here." Saren ordered. He looked up as he heard gunfire in the distance. It sounded like it was coming from further down the spaceport, which was too close for Saren's liking. He'd have to make this quick. He walked up to the beacon. Then, he was lifted into the air as he had a vision.

He landed on his feet with a thud. The vision was confusing, but it was only one piece of the puzzle. Once the other pieces fell into place, all would be made clear. He summoned his ship. He got what he came for, so now it was time to leave. He'd leave some Geth behind to set the demolition charges and if need be, defend them from any Human survivors stupid enough to try and retake the spaceport. The synthetics would be destroyed in the blast, but it was a necessary sacrifice. Besides, there were plenty more Geth where those came from. Once the bombs go off, the entire colony will be destroyed in a massive nuclear explosion, effectively erasing any evidence that there was even an attack to begin with.

Saren smiled. He knew that there wasn't a single person in the galaxy who could stop him now.

...

"Damn." Ashley said as she looked down the catwalk to see all the Geth defenders behind them...or rather what was left of them. "No wonder the Covenant called you a demon, Master Chief."

The spartan looked to the colonial marine.

"Er, not to imply that you ARE a demon sir. It's just that...uh...you're very powerful and I'm sure the Covenant was intimidated and..."

The spartan kept staring.

"Shutting up now sir."

"Alenko." Chief said.

"One more second." Kaidan replied as he typed away buttons at the tram's control panel. "Got it." he said two seconds later. With a jerk, the tram began moving.

"Don't let your guard down." Chief said as he looked up at the ledges that surrounded the tram. They were good defensive positions, and the Geth would use them if given the opportunity. Ashley and Kaidan had the same idea as they too looked around, rifles at the ready.

That's when they heard it. A vile, screeching sound that made lesser beings cringe. It was the same sound Chief heard in the _Normandy's _comm room. The three soldiers looked off in the direction of the sound just in time to see it taking off into the sky.

"That's the mothership!" Ashley shouted, her voice barely audible over the roar of the thing taking off.

"That thing's a ship?" Kaidan shouted back.

Chief looked on in silence, recognizing the flying structure as the one he saw in the distress feed. If the Unggoy's story carried any truth, that was the mothership on which the Geth arrived...as well as the Turian who murdered Nihlus. Before he found the spectre's body, this was just a simple battle, not too different from the battles he fought before, the only differences being the weapons he was using and the enemies he was fighting. But a Turian, whom Nihlus apparently knew, shooting the spectre in the back? That meant there was more going on here than just a simple battle.

"If that's their mothership, then the Geth might be withdrawing." Cortana observed as the ship rocketed up out of sight, leaving Eden Prime's atmosphere.

"Maybe they already have the beacon and they're getting the hell out of dodge." Chief suggested.

"Maybe...hold on, getting weird signatures...Oh boy..." the AI said.

"What?" Chief asked. Cortana had that tone that practically sang 'things are about to get worst.'

"I'm detecting faint nuclear signatures down the spaceport. They're bombs, Chief."

"You sure?"

"Positive. I'd know that signature in any century. They've rigged this whole colony to blow."

That was all Chief needed to know. He checked his sights on his assault rifle for the umpteenth time as he readied himself. He didn't know why the Geth wanted to blow up the colony. Maybe it was a scorched earth strategy; there was something here that the Geth didn't want to fall into Human hands. Maybe it was to erase evidence of the attack, implying that they did not want anyone to know about what happened. Maybe they were simply sending a message, just like the Covenant did whenever they glassed over one of the UNSC's planets. It didn't matter, because no matter the reason, the Geth had to be stopped.

The tram reached its destination with a click, and as the spartan expected, the three got one hell of a welcoming committee. Eight Geth Troopers, all lined up around the catwalk. Ashley and Kaidan ducked behind a crate, while Chief was a little more proactive. He ran past the crate and up the stairway leading to the catwalk. He lobbed a grenade and took cover. The explosion didn't take out the entire force, but it took out two and disoriented the rest, which was good enough for Chief as he rose out of cover as he opened fire with his rifle, Ash and Kaidan's own rounds lending a much-appreciated hand.

"First bomb, right below you Chief." Cortana chimed in. Chief looked over the railing to see a bomb the size of a fridge, complete with beeping and blinking red lights. He pointed to it, his two companions following his gaze.

"Bomb!" Kaidan yelled, instantly recognizing it. "I'm on it!" He rushed up to it and began furiously pressing buttons on its control panel. The bomb gave a few beeps and Chief saw the lights fade away and the beeping stop. Kaidan gave Chief a thumb's up. Chief was glad, but his relief was short-lived when he remembered what Cortana said.

"First bomb?" Chief asked.

"I'm detecting five other bombs." Cortana said.

"I'm detecting five other bombs." Chief told his comrades.

"Hey, that's my line." Cortana said. "What is _with _everyone taking my lines today?"

"How did you know?" Ashley asked.

"Check your HUD." Chief said. They did and sure enough, they detected five other signals, likely from five other bombs. "Alenko, disarm the rest. Williams, cover him. I'll keep the Geth off of both your backs."

Chief didn't even bother waiting around for a 'Sir, yes sir!' and took off. "Cortana, hostiles?" he asked.

"Oh yeah." Cortana said. "About two dozen others...and a really big one."

"Big one?" Chief asked.

It was then that the SPARTAN-II heard a thumping sound, very heavy footsteps not unlike his own. He turned and saw a Geth. A really big Geth. It was easily a foot taller than he was, dwarfing the two Geth troopers flanking it. It was a bright red in color and had what looked like two long rods sticking out of each shoulder, giving it an almost regal look. It held up a very big rifle, one with two barrels, both of them aiming right at him.

"Like I said. Big one." Cortana quipped.

The three geth let loose their pulse rounds, but not before Chief threw a grenade as he dove for cover, taking out one trooper's shields and killing the other one altogether. Chief finished off the second one with a burst of rifle fire, meaning the juggernaut was now without its backup. It fired another round of pulse fire as Chief came out of cover, running down the catwalk to get some distance between he and it while he fired at the juggernaut, its flickering shields indicating that, at the very least, he was doing damage. Then, Chief had to duck because the juggernaut fired what looked like a rocket at him. Now he knew what that second barrel was for. He reached the end of the catwalk and turned the corner...

Only to find another Geth trooper waiting for him. He gave it a backhand, hitting the Geth's head with the backside of his forearm with enough force to knock it off the deck onto the tram-way below. He then ducked behind the fence to avoid another rocket aimed at his head, seeing another trooper heading his way. He fired at its feet, penetrating its shields and tearing up its feet in a shower of metal, sparks and white fluid as it collapsed onto the ground. Once it was down, Chief punched a hole into the Geth's back with his own fist and pulled it out, leaving a nice clean hole. He pulled out his pistol and fired a few rounds into the internal circuitry, and the machine's whirring and stuttering stopped as its flashlight head went dark. Another rocket exploded against the wall in front of him, letting him know the juggernaut was still a threat. He checked his belt. Two grenades left. It could be enough to take this thing down, if only he could flank it.

Meanwhile, Ashley took out another Geth with her rifle as Kaidan furiously tapped buttons on the control panel. Chief was doing a good job of keeping the Geth busy, particularly the big one. Any Geth that chose to go after them met heavy resistance from Ashley, who so far was proving to be a one-woman army. Why she hadn't been promoted past Gunnery Chief of a colonial defense unit was beyond Kaidan. Obviously, somebody in Alliance brass wasn't paying very close attention.

"Got it." Kaidan said. "Four down, two to go." The biotic was ridiculously fast with disarming the bombs, each one only taking a few seconds at a time. As a Sentinel, it was part of his training to be a tech expert as well as a biotics expert.

"Got one more!" Ashley shouted as she saw one more Geth trooper head their way. Ash pulled the trigger on her rifle, only to have nothing come out due to overheating, earning yet another swear from the marine.

Kaidan reached out his hand as his biotics kicked in again. The trooper kept coming, but this time rather than charging forward guns blazing, it was doing loop-de-loops through the air. Kaidan drew his shotgun and unleashed a round of buckshot on the Geth once it got close enough, sending it careening over the tram-way, then falling into it once the effects of the biotic manipulation wore off.

"Nice one." Ashley complimented.

"Let's go. There's still two more bombs we need to disarm." Kaidan said as he took off, Ashley not far behind.

Meanwhile back on the catwalk, the juggernaut had apparently gotten tired of firing and was now slowly marching down the bridge towards Master Chief's location. Its weapon was switched to assault rifle mode, intent on tearing the spartan to ribbons once he was in range. The juggernaut turned the corner...

To find no spartan there. Just a couple of Geth trooper corpses. Before the juggernaut could even dedicate its subroutines to finding its target, there was an explosion at its feet. The explosion was enough to make the juggernaut stumble forwards, dropping its weapon as it waved its arms to regain balance. Chief leapt out from his hiding place and saw his opportunity. He rushed forwards and grabbed the weapon dropped by the hulking machine. He ran down the walkway a little while longer to get an appropriate distance between him and the juggernaut. The juggernaut tried to catch him, but its speed was no match for a SPARTAN-II in full sprint. Once he was at an adequate distance he turned around, pointed the large rifle at the juggernaut and switched to rocket mode. SPARTAN-II's were trained to make use of any weapon, human-made or otherwise. He wasn't terribly familiar with the Geth dual assault rifle / rocket launcher, but he figured out enough about it to know how to shoot it. He fired a rocket, which flew from the rifle's second barrel towards the juggernaut.

*BOOM!*

There was an explosion, of course, wrapping the massive Geth in smoke and flame. When the smoke cleared, the juggernaut was still standing, though it stopped moving. The rocket did a real number on it. One of the shoulder rods was cracked, the other snapped off completely. Its torso was covered in soot and seemed dented, likely from the impact. Aside from that and a few soot marks and cracks around its armor, it was still a standing. These things were built tough. But not so tough that it didn't give a few more stutters while its flashlight head blinked before falling over on its back, the blinking and stuttering stopping upon hitting the floor.

Chief checked the rifle to see if there was any ammunition left. There didn't seem to be anymore rockets, and not enough assault ammo to justify lugging around such a heavy weapon. He dropped it and then activated his radio.

"Alenko. Status report." Chief said.

"Five out of six bombs successfully disarmed." Kaidan reported. "But there are a lot of Geth guarding the sixth one, and they've got me and Williams pinned down. We could really use some back up right about now."

"Sit tight. I'm on my way." Chief replied. He clicked off and took off for Kaidan's position, which Cortana helpfully highlighted on the spartan's HUD. He unfolded his rifle as he ran with all the speed of a SPARTAN-II.

...

Another blast from Ashley's shotgun knocked another husk to the ground with a hole in its gut. She turned and blasted a Geth trooper trying to flank them. It staggered back, and another blast sent the Geth to the floor sans head. Another blast to the chest made sure it stayed down. Kaidan biotically lifted a Geth into the air, peacefully floating above the firefight, wrapped in blue energy. The two soldiers would've shot the Geth down if they had time, but there were more Geth baring down on them that needed more attention. Besides, the Geth fell over the edge of the spaceport and into the forest below, so it was no longer a problem.

All in all, it wasn't good. The bomb was about to blow, and there were about a dozen Geth standing between it and the two soldiers. Thankfully, this was when the Chief arrived. He charged into the thickest part of the Geth lines, intending to draw their fire. It worked, as the Geth immediately labeled the spartan as a priority target. Any Geth that weren't killed by the Chief were killed by Ashley and Kaidan as they tried to kill the Chief.

Chief moved like water across the battlefield. He jumped into a Geth's hiding spot and took one out with a shotgun blast. He got another one with his bare hands, crushing its flashlight head by slamming it between the crate the android was using for cover, and his fist. He took out his assault rifle and took out the others. His shields were down to zero for a time, but thankfully his new armor was just as thick as his old armor, shrugging off the pulse fire without too much visible damage.

Aside from a few outstanding kills (which Cortana recorded. It was a hobby of hers), the firefight itself wasn't too difficult or special. Chief killed the last Geth by stomping on its head, crushing it. He then fired into its torso a few times with his shotgun. He then turned to Kaidan.

"You're clear. Go." he ordered.

"On it." Kaidan said with a nod. Ashley's jaw was on the floor as she came out of cover, looking at all the dead Geth before her.

"Holy...I can't..." she sputtered. "You are...just...damn...I mean...wow..."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Chief said with a shrug. It was then that he heard a by-now very familiar stuttering and stomping heading their way. He looked up, Ashley following his gaze. There was the Geth juggernaut. Cracked, half-broken, but still standing and ready for more.

"Oh hell..." Cortana swore.

The juggernaut raised its rifle and fired another rocket at the Chief. He leapt for cover, Ashley doing the same. Their shields took most of the damage from the shock as Chief and Ashley whipped out their rifles and began firing at it.

"Okay, I'm calling shenanigans!" Cortana yelped. "That gun was out of rockets when we checked! Where did that thing get more rockets?"

Chief ducked behind cover to avoid another rocket before popping back out and shooting back. "Seriously, where did it get more rockets? We should have rockets!"

Chief ducked behind the crate he was hiding behind and smacked the side of his helmet.

"Alright, alright. Shutting up now." the AI admitted.

"Kaidan, we could use a hand here..." Chief said into his radio. "Wanna defuse that bomb so you can help?"

"Already did." Kaidan replied. With that, the air around the juggernaut distorted with a blue warp, knocking the juggernaut back a bit. It didn't quite stop it though, as it kept on firing at the Chief. The odd biotic attack did not get by the spartan.

"What did you just do?" he asked, a clever plan already forming in his mind.

"A biotic warp, why?" Kaidan asked back.

"Okay. Alenko, get in position. Hit him with another warp when I give the signal. Williams, see if you can't grab that thing's attention." Chief ordered.

The two marines agreed and followed their orders. Ashley got a little closer to the juggernaut and hit it with everything she had. She dove behind another crate once her rifle overheated, drawing the juggernaut's attention.

"Any time now, guys." Ashley said as she noticed the hail of pulse fire slowly eating through the crate she was hiding behind.

"Now Alenko!" Chief shouted.

Kaidan reached outwards as his hand was wrapped in a biotic aura. He hit the juggernaut with a warp that stunned it, giving Chief the opportunity he needed. He ran out of cover towards the stunned juggernaut and rammed into it with his shoulder, and then back-handed the rifle out of the juggernaut's hands. The juggernaut reacted by raising its arms and bringing them down on the spartan, crushing him with sheer brute force. But the armored human did something, something a human should not have been capable of.

He caught the arms. And they did not break.

During the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC publicized SPARTAN-II's as nigh-immortals, 'superheroes' if one wishes to be melodramatic, in order to keep morale up. While spartans didn't really care for this public image, it was pretty much true. They were stronger, faster, and more resilient than any other human. Super-strong muscles, unbreakable bones, and a mind as sharp as a tack on the battlefield. At the moment, it was the super-strength and unbreakable bones that were most useful to Chief as he grappled with the Geth juggernaut. Chief noted that the juggernaut's strength was comparable to his own as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Overcoming this Geth would be difficult.

Difficult. But not impossible.

The two behemoths were evenly matched in terms of raw strength, but unlike the Geth, the Chief was creative enough to tip the odds in his favor. He pulled down on the juggernaut's right arm while pushing up on his left arm. These sudden jerking motions caught the juggernaut off guard and allowed the Chief to push him to the ground. Now the juggernaut was on its back, Chief still holding onto its arms as he stood above it. Still taking advantage of the juggernaut's momentary disorientation, he bent down and forwards on one of the Geth's arms, snapping the forearm in two. That arm now useless and no longer requiring holding onto, he stomped on a cracked spot on the Geth's torso, his boot smashing through the armor. He pulled it out of the new hole and whipped out his last grenade. SPARTAN-II's weren't usually fond of delivering one-liners. It was commonly viewed as a waste of time. But every once in a while, even a spartan can't resist.

"This time, stay dead." Chief said before arming and then jamming the grenade into the juggernaut's chest cavity. He then let go of the Geth's arm and sprinted away, before a massive explosion erupted from the juggernaut's chest. When the smoke cleared, the machine didn't even have a torso left, all the internal circuitry strewn about in charred bits and pieces.

Ashley and Kaidan came out of cover to inspect the damage. Kaidan whistled at the corpse, while Ash was flabbergasted once again. "Hey." Chief said, immediately grabbing both marines' attention. "Let's go get that beacon."

...

"Is that it?" Kaidan asked as they approached the Prothean beacon.

"Yeah but...it wasn't glowing when they dug it up." Ashley replied. "Maybe the Geth did something to it?"

"I'll establish a link with the _Normandy_ for you." Cortana said, her voice once again unheard by all but her spartan. "You're on."

"_Normandy_, this is Spartan-117." Chief reported. "We've secured the beacon. Corporal Jenkins and Nihlus Kryik are KIA. Picked up one survivor. Over."

"What?" Anderson yelped over the radio. "Nihlus is dead? What happened?"

"Don't know sir." Chief admitted. "Some grunt said he saw Nihlus get executed by another Turian named Saren."

"...Saren..." Anderson said. Chief couldn't help but note the way Anderson said that word, as if testing it. "Are you sure that's his name?"

"That's what the grunt said, anyway." Chief clarified. Despite his mistrust of Covenant races, he honestly didn't think the grunt lied to him. He knew for a fact that they were hardly the types to lie, especially to a big scary spartan baring down on them. Besides, how would an unarmed Unggoy kill a Turian spectre anyway?

"...Roger that Chief. We'll lock onto your position and pick you up. _Normandy_ out." Anderson stated before clicking off.

"Anderson's heard that name before." Cortana said, having also noticed how Anderson paused after hearing Saren's name.

"He knows who Saren is?" Chief asked.

"Most likely." Cortana replied. Chief paused in thought. He'd have some questions for the captain once they were back aboard the ship.

Then, Chief heard what sounded like a pulse, followed by a flash of green light. "WILLIAMS!" Kaidan yelled. Chief turned around and saw Ashley being pulled towards the beacon by an unseen force. Acting on instinct, he rushed to the marine and grabbed her arm, and then gently threw her away. Of course, 'gently' for a SPARTAN-II was hurling something three feet in the air and watch it land with a thud. She might get a bruise, but otherwise no worst for a wear.

However, now the force was pulling Chief in. Chief tried to pull away with all his might. But even his strength was not enough to completely break away. Suddenly, the spartan found himself floating in the air.

"CHIEF!" Ashley yelled as she tried to leap after him.

"No!" Kaidan said, pulling her back. "You'll just be pulled in too!"

Chief received the vision.

...

_There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering._

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_Minds being tormented._

_Blood splattering on the ground._

_Screeching of the damned._

_And eyes that spoke eons of malice._

_..._

The beacon exploded, sending the spartan flying. The Chief lost consciousness as Ashley and Kaidan rushed to his side.

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): UNGGOY**

_Unggoy are a diminutive race of creatures that hail from the frigid swamp world of Balahao. Although they display traits of mammals and reptiles, they are in truth arthropods. Due to having evolved in a methane atmosphere, Unggoy have naturally high-pitched voices. It also means that they require sophisticated breathing packs in order to survive in non-methane atmospheres._

_Unggoy are a part of the Sangheili Empire and, despite having their own council of leaders and seats in the Empire's senate, have no independent government of their own. Similar to the relationship between Volus and Turians, Unggoy handle the economic side of the Empire, having long managed trade routes with the Human Alliance, Kig-Yar Confederacy and Yanme'e Hives._

_When they first joined the Citadel races in 2657, the Council were initially worried about the Unggoy's high-reproductive rate, fearing a repeat of the Krogan Rebellions. Thankfully, Unggoy are nowhere near as aggressive as the Krogan, and to prevent overpopulation, the Empire enforces strict breeding restrictions on Unggoy couples, usually only allowing one brood per lifetime._

_..._

**So yeah. That last bit was my attempt at a Codex Entry for the Grunts. And yes, I know you don't actually encounter a Geth Juggernaut on Eden Prime, but you know. "Creative License" and all that. Next chapter will be rather short compared to this one, so hopefully it won't take as long to update next time**


	6. I Hate Politicians

**Okay. BIG TIME apologies for the delay. This chapter took way longer than it should have. I don't really have an excuse. Just plain ol' procrastination really...and WoW. I also blame WoW.**

**Anyway, hopefully the next chapter won't be as long. Emphasis, of course, on "Hopefully."**

...

The ship prowled through space like a shark intent on finding its next meal. It was a very large ship, easily larger than any other ship in the galaxy, and with armaments that can bring an entire fleet to its knees. After a successful mission on Eden Prime, the ship made its way back to the Terminus Systems, where it would be safe from the council's vision. Though it was a fearsome warship, it was still only one ship. Everything is starting to fall into place now, but they still must make their last few moves carefully.

Saren Arterius sat in his quarters. It was a fairly small room, having a chair in the middle, a vid screen before him, a lamp on one side and a table on the other. He sat with his eyes closed in the chair, going over the vision again and again in his mind, trying to make sense of it. He knew that he would not be able to understand much from that vision alone, but until the other pieces of the puzzle were gathered, this was all that he could do.

An Asari, a matriarch to be precise entered the room. She cleared her throat to announce her presence. Saren opened his eyes. He gave no gestures to do so, but somehow, the Asari just knew that she had been given permission to speak.

"We identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime. The _Normandy_. A Human Alliance vessel." she paused. "It was under the command of Captain David Anderson. They managed to save the colony."

Saren grunted at the name. Anderson. A particularly loathsome little Human that had an uncanny habit of turning up to muck up his plans. He failed every time of course, so Saren never viewed him as much of a threat. Even now, when he had saved the colony, it was little more than a minor setback. There was no real evidence to indicate that Saren himself was there; it's likely the council will blame the Geth for Nihlus's death. The synthetics will now be a confirmed enemy of the citadel races, but even that wasn't a terrible detriment to the plan. Most of their operations were based in the Terminus Systems anyway, where the council is unwilling to send a fleet for fear of sparking a galaxy-wide war. However, it was then that Saren realized that there was still one loose end still on that colony that could very well pose a problem.

"The beacon." Saren replied. "What happened to it?"

"It was destroyed...But one of the humans may have used it before so." the Asari reluctantly replied.

A low growl rumbled out of Saren's throat as he dug his talons into the arm-rests. He snarled as he stood up and threw his table and all of its contents across the room, roaring in fury. This was more than a minor setback. This was an outright problem.

"This human must be eliminated." he growled. "The council will send me a report soon. Once we know who it is, we'll deal with them. Now leave." Saren ordered. The Asari nodded obediently and left the room. Saren settled back down into his chair. He contemplated this new turn of events. The human likely received the same vision he did, meaning he had in his mind a single clue. Granted, it was a worthless clue that will likely serve the human no purpose without the other clues. But Saren couldn't take that chance. There was simply too much at steak. Once the human's identity is confirmed, he'll hire some mercs to deal with them. That should settle the matter quick enough.

...

2303 Hours, February 24th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Glory System, Exodus Cluster

...

Master Chief's head ached as the world around him came into focus. He clutched his head and squinted his eyes, not appreciating the level of brightness currently in the room. He slowly got up and, once his vision cleared up, noted his surroundings.

He quickly noted that he was in the back room of the _Normandy's _med-bay. It was a small room, a storage closet really, with a computer on the side of the room opposite him, and a small stack of crates was next to him, likely full of medical supplies. He was lying on the only bed in the room, and was wearing his jumpsuit. He was briefly alarmed by how he didn't see his armor anywhere, but instantly became relieved when he saw his armor neatly piled in a corner of the room, waiting for him. He got up out of the bed and made his way to the armor, setting about the long process of putting it all on.

Once all the armor pieces had snapped into place, all he needed to do was put his helmet on. The moment he did, Cortana's voice came through, relief clear in her tone. "Chief. Thank goodness. Thought you'd never get up."

"They took off my armor." Chief observed. "Did they..."

"No, they didn't find out about me." Cortana said. "Our secret's still safe. For now at least."

Chief sighed in relief, nodding in acknowledgement. "So what happened down there? With the beacon?" he asked.

"I don't know." Cortana replied. "The Prothean beacon made you levitate-"

"Levitate?" the spartan asked.

"I know weird. Don't ask me how that's possible because even Idon't know." the AI said. "Anyway, you levitated, and then the beacon exploded, knocking you out."

Chief sighed. Great, he thought. Between the dead spectre and the destroyed beacon, it didn't look like he'd be made a spectre anytime soon. Not that he wanted to, but Chief didn't like failing missions in general. "How long have I been out?" the spartan asked.

"Sixteen hours." Cortana responded.

Chief furrowed his brow. That was too long to be knocked out. The explosion from the beacon wasn't even that big. He had shrugged off plasma grenades with bigger explosions than that. "One more thing." Cortana said. "While you were levitating, your vitals were showing that your brain activity was going haywire. What happened?"

Chief paused at that. He then remembered the vision, the images flooding back to him. "Nothing." he replied, deciding that the dream was just that; a dream.

"Nothing?" Cortana asked, not believing him for a second. "Chief, your brain waves were brain TSUNAMIS. Don't tell me it was nothing."

Chief sighed in defeat, knowing that arguing with Cortana was pointless. "I had a vision." Chief said. "Hallucination, most likely."

"I think it was a lot more than just a hallucination." Cortana replied. "It's an ancient alien artifact. God only knows what it did. Maybe it was supposedto give hallucinations to anyone who used it."

Chief grunted at that. After dealing with Halo, he had enough experience with ancient alien artifacts to last a lifetime. "Anyway, you'd better check in with Dr. Chakwas. She'd be happy to know you're alright.

Chief nodded and walked out of the room. In the main med-bay was Dr. Chakwas and, surprisingly, Ashley Williams. They were talking with each other, but immediately stopped when the spartan entered the room.

"Ah, good. You're up." Chakwas said in relief. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good." Chief answered. He had a headache, but he's certainly suffered worst without much complaint. "What happened?"

"You were pulled into the Prothean beacon. It...did something to you." Chakwas explained.

"It was my fault. I shouldn't have gotten close to it." Ashley said as she shook her head.

"Don't blame yourself, Williams." Chief said. "It's not like you planned on having me wind up here." He turned to Chakwas. "Why did the beacon do that?"

"We don't know, and unfortunately, it looks like we'll never find out. It exploded." Chakwas explained.

"Extent of injuries?" Chief asked.

"Physically, you're fine." Chakwas said. "But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

It was then that the door out of the med-bay opened. Captain Anderson walked in with his usual commanding gait. "How's our spartan, Doctor?" he asked.

"Just woke up. No worst for wear, far as I can tell anyway." Chakwas reported.

"Good to hear." Anderson replied with a nod. "However, he and I need to talk. In private."

"Of course, Captain." Chakwas said before leaving. Ashley followed her. But the marine stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder, giving the spartan one last look before walking away out of the room, leaving the spartan alone with the captain.

"Sounds like that beacon hit you hard, Chief. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I've had worst." Chief replied in a dismissive tone. "So what did you need to speak to me about?"

"I won't lie to you, Chief. Things look bad. Very bad." Anderson began. "Nihlus is dead, the beacon was destroyed and the Geth are invading. The council's going to want answers."

"I think that's all we can say; Nihlus is dead, the beacon was destroyed and the Geth are invading. Not a whole lot more than that." Chief replied with a shrug.

"Actually, there is." Anderson said. "There's Saren."

"You know him?" Chief asked.

"You could say that." Anderson replied. "His full name is Saren Arterius. He's a spectre, one of the best the council has. A living legend, kind of like you. But if he's working with the Geth, then he's gone rogue. A rogue spectre's trouble. Saren's dangerous." Anderson paused. "And he hates humans."

And just like that, Saren went from simply being a name with not much attached to someone who just sky-rocketed to the top of Master Chief's shit-list. "Hates humans, huh?" he asked as he crossed his arms.

"He thinks Humans are growing too fast, taking over the galaxy. A lot of aliens think that." Anderson elaborated. "But this was an act of war. Saren has allied himself with the Geth. I don't know how, I don't know why. I only know it had something to do with that beacon." he paused. "You were there just before the beacon self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?"

Chief paused, wondering if he should tell Anderson about the vision. What good would it do? It was just a dream. A hallucination...right?

"Tell him what you saw, Chief." Cortana advised. "It could be more important than you think."

"I think the beacon gave me a..." Chief paused.

"A what?" Anderson asked.

"A vision? I guess?" Chief suggested with a shrug.

"What kind of vision?" Anderson pressed.

"Flesh...metal...people dying..." the spartan shrugged again. "In all honesty sir, I don't know what I saw."

"I see." Anderson said. "We need to report this to the council."

"What are they going to do?" Chief asked.

"Saren's a spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything." Anderson explained. "But if we can prove that Saren's gone rogue, the council will revoke his spectre status and take him in. He'll stand trial for his crimes. I've already contacted Ambassador Udina to see if he can get us an audience with the council. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the citadel."

"We're heading for the citadel?" Chief asked. He didn't know much about the citadel races, but he did remember that the citadel was basically the capital of the galaxy, a giant space station that served as the cultural, economic, and political hub of Citadel space.

"We're almost there as a matter of fact. We should be docking in about twenty minutes. Do whatever you need to do to get ready and we'll head for the Human Embassy once we disembark." Anderson saluted Chief, a salute which the spartan crisply returned. "Dismissed." he said before leaving the medical bay.

"Oh goody. We get to meet the big cheeses themselves." Cortana commented.

"Yeah. Goody." Chief replied before leaving the med-bay.

He took a look around the mess hall of the Normandy. All the servicemen on board turned to the Chief and gave him nods of acknowledgement as he made his way through the mess hall. It was then that a familiar face went up to the Chief.

"Uh...Hi Chief." Ashley Williams greeted rather meekly.

"Williams." Chief regarded her with a nod. "What are you doing on the _Normandy_?"

"Transfer!" Ashley suddenly blurted out. "Er yeah. Captain requested it. Guess he thought I was pretty good down there. Kaidan said so. He's a nice guy. NOT that you're not a nice guy. I'm sure you would've said so if you could so..." she fidgeted. "Yeah."

"You okay, Williams?" Chief asked.

"Huh? Oh sure. Hunky-dory, never better! Oh crap. Hunky-dory. That's a silly thing to say, I mean, who SAYS that anymore? Hunky-dory. Sorry about that Chief. Er, Master Chief. Spartan-117. SIR!" she quickly rambled, then saluted.

"Easy, Williams." Chief said. "Don't have a heart attack on me here."

"Sir! No sir!" she continued to stand at attention.

"...Dismissed, Williams." Chief said. Ashley nodded and quickly marched off to the stairway that led to deck one. Chief was, to say the least, confused. On Eden Prime, Ashley was very composed and confident in herself. She was efficient, no-nonsense, basically a good soldier. But now, it was as if she was an entirely different person. She's acting like, well, Jenkins when he first met Chief. The spartan was wondering what happened to cause the change in demeanor.

"Well, you ARE the Master Chief." Cortana interjected, obviously detecting Chief's confusion. "Now that there's not any Geth around trying to kill her, she's free to have a proper fangasm over you." Chief sighed and nodded in understanding. After the way ONI sold the SPARTAN-II's as nigh-superheroes during the war, the sight of marines freaking out and getting into a stupor like little boys meeting baseball stars became an all-too common occurrence for him. Chief then made his way to the bridge.

"Good to see you're alright Chief." Pressly said as Chief entered the CIC. "Losing Jenkins was hard enough on the crew."

Chief sighed at that. Jenkins was a good kid overall. He would likely be missed. Chief walked towards the cockpit of the ship, wanting to get a better look at this 'Citadel' he'd been hearing so much about. On the way, he passed Kaidan who gave him a greeting nod, a nod the spartan returned. Kaidan's political opinions may have differed from Chief's, but he respected the biotic for his fighting and tech abilities if nothing else. He then passed Ashley who, rather than go into another sputter, simply blushed and looked away, feigning a sudden intense interest in one of the computer screens that lined the bridge. He eventually arrived at the cockpit where Joker was as usual. It was then that Chief realized that he had never really seen Joker outside of his pilot's seat on the cockpit. He was dedicated to his work, the spartan had to give him that.

"You're just in time, Chief. Time to see the Alliance tax-payer's dollars at work." Joker quipped as they approached the mass relay. With another blue flash, space changed around them. The differences were much more dramatic this time, as they suddenly found themselves in what seemed to be a large purple cloud, a nebulae most likely. Chief began to wonder if he would ever get used to this; being all but teleported from one section of the galaxy to the other with little to no warning. With slipspace, it usually took a few hours to get from point A to point B, those hours spent in an alternate dimension that was bathed in blinding white light. It was then that the Chief saw it. The Citadel.

It wasn't nearly as big as High Charity, but that's a bit like saying an elephant isn't nearly as big as a whale. That didn't change the fact that the elephant was still an impressive sight in person.At the center of it was a ring, from which five 'arms' spread out. The spartan could see distinct lines of light covering the surface of each arm. His eyebrows raised slightly at the realization that those lights indicated that on the surface of each arm was a whole city. "Wow. When they said it was a 'giant space station' they weren't kidding." Cortana commented.

As they drew closer to the Citadel, Chief noticed a truly massive ship. It was pink in color, with what looked like an opening of some sort in front, with fin-like protrusions coming out the top, bottom, and both sides of the craft. "Look at the size of that ship..." Ashley commented as she approached the cockpit to get a better look at it.

"The _Destiny Ascension_." Kaidan pointed out as he too came up to the cockpit. "The flagship of the Citadel Fleet."

"Well, size isn't everything." Joker snipped.

"Why so touchy, Joker?" Ashley teasingly asked as she regarded the pilot. Chief noted the change in attitude again. Perhaps she had become temporarily oblivious to his presence in the awe of the massive station and ship.

"Just sayin' you need firepower too." Joker replied.

"Are you kidding?" Ashley said as she turned to the pilot. "Look at that monster! Its main gun can rip through the barriers of any ship in the Alliance fleet!"

"Good thing it's on our side, then." Kaidan said. Master Chief didn't find that comment as reassuring as Kaidan likely intended.

Joker pressed button on the holographic control panel. "Citadel control, this is_ SSV Normandy_ requesting permission to land." he casually requested.

"Stand by for clearance, _Normandy_." replied a flanging voice, likely a Turian. "Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator."

"Roger, Citadel control. _Normandy_ out." Joker replied. The ship continued its course, making right for the ringed center of the citadel.

"_Normandy_, this is Alliance Tower." came a Human voice. "Please proceed to Dock 422." The _Normandy_ turned slightly towards one of the arms. Chief noted that they were still maintaining close distance to the center ring, which Chief guessed, was the center of power on the citadel. As the _Normandy_ drew closer, the distinct shapes of buildings became more and more evident. Eventually, they were flying through a city, and then finally made birth in a docking bay, magnetic clamps sticking to the ship, keeping it in place during the crew's stay.

Chief turned around and headed for deck two, specifically his locker. If he was going to go on board a station where the aliens outnumbered the humans, he'd feel a lot more comfortable with some weapons on him.

...

February 24th, 2683

Citadel

Serpent Nebula

...

With Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko flanking him, Master Chief looked over the balcony to the presidium below. It was definitely a beautiful place to live, with its stark white walls and floors, a beautiful lake, and vast varieties of trees planted all over the place. He looked up to the ceiling, which looked like a sunny, cloud-filled sky. The spartan knew that it was just an illusion. He could tell from the way the ceiling seemed to curve upwards in either direction, indicating that he was indeed currently inside a ring. He looked back down to the fountains and shimmering bridges below, and took in the activity.

He had seen elites give him a warm welcome on Earth. He had interrogated a grunt for information on Nihlus's killer on Eden Prime. But this was different. Never before had the alliance between Humans and the former-Covenant races been so in his face. Before him he could see Humans interacting with Covenant species, as well as a few species he didn't recognize, on a fairly friendly basis.

He saw a grunt walking alongside a truly massive alien that was walking on all fours. Judging from the way the grunt was flapping its arms about, it was likely that the two were in a conversation of some kind.

By the fountain, he saw a jackal sitting on a park bench with a Human woman, the former dressed in a suit of some kind while the latter was in a dress. He zoomed in with his visor's binocular function and, much to his surprise, the woman was smiling as she talked. Judging from the way the jackal's beak moved, it was talking as well. It was nothing short of surreal, seeing a jackal having a friendly, casual conversation with a human rather than trying to maul her to death.

He then saw a drone fly by, carrying something. His instincts immediately assuming that it was a bomb or something, he zoomed in with his visor as he grabbed his pistol, ready to pull it out and fire if need be. He saw some letters printed on the item the drone was carrying.

_Ha'shu Hive Pizza. Thirty minutes or less or your pizza is free!_

Chief took his hand off the pistol. A drone pizza boy. A pizza drone. A species that was infamous for swarming around UNSC marines and letting loose a rain of plasma on their heads was now delivering pizza to other species, Humans likely being the most frequent customers. The sheer absurdity of the concept stupefied him for a second.

He looked back down to what looked like a shop of some kind to see a pair of hunters walking through the presidium casually. Rather than a shining sky-blue armor, the hunters were decked out in navy-blue armor with the term "C-Sec" printed across their shields. Master Chief knew that C-sec was basically the citadel's law enforcement agency, of which these two hunters were members, apparently. The idea of letting hunters into C-sec made a twisted kind of sense to the spartan, actually. Would _you _try to pick somebody's pockets when the nearby cops were easily enraged walking tanks?

Then, he saw it by the fountain. Something that finally got made him realize that the Covenant was no more, that its member races no longer posed a significant threat to mankind. At a table by a fountain, a Human and a Sangheili; an elite, were playing chess. Where once these two races fought each other with bullets and plasma, now they fight each other with wits and little plastic chess pieces. It was the first time since coming out of cryo that Chief seriously wondered if he could live in this century.

Then, he saw the Human make a move and lean back and mutter something. The elite looked around the board, astonished, and then gave the Human a dirty look. The Human couldn't get that smirk off his face. Chief smiled at that.

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" the sound of an angry ambassador snapped Chief from his thoughts and made him turn to Ambassador Donnel Udina who, for the past few minutes, had been having a conversation with the council that the spartan had been tuning out up until now.

"The council would step in if the Geth attacked a Turian colony!" the ambassador further fumed. Ambassador Udina was a mulatto-skinned man with grey hair and a wrinkled face, which was currently contorted in rage.

"The Turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems. Ambassador." the image of the Salarian councilor said, obviously not appreciating Udina's attitude.

There they were. The powers that be. The big cheeses. The head honchos. The three most powerful individuals in Citadel space, which was basically half of the known galaxy. The Turians, the Asari, and the Salarians. Cortana gave Chief a brief rundown on the three council races and their roles. The Asari, who looked like blue women with odd tentacle hair, were diplomats and mediators, likely responsible for making sure everybody gets along. The Salarians, which looked like a cross between the classic 'grey' alien of science fiction and a gecko, were responsible for collecting information, their military doctrine mostly founded on espionage, ending wars before they start. Finally, there were the Turians, who provided the military muscle necessary to enforce peace throughout citadel space. Perhaps that was why the council insisted on putting Humanity under such strict military perimeters. They were worried that the Humans, having an armada to rival the Turians, could upset the delicate balance of power.

On the left, Councilor Sparatus, the Turian, stood wearing a formal-looking suit. His face markings were similar to those of Nihlus, once again making the Chief wonder if all Turians had that odd skull-like color pattern on their faces. He stood rigid and at attention with his hands behind his back, making the spartan conclude that he had a military background of some sort. Councilor Tevos, the Asari, stood in the middle. She wore a long dress and had face markings of her own. She stood with poise and dignity; a politician in every sense of the word. Finally, Councilor Valern, the Salarian, stood to the right. He wore a long robe with a hood over his head and, again, had facial markings. The spartan could tell that he was on edge, all his senses on high-alert, his mind and instincts moving a mile a minute. Of course, that's common amongst Salarians, at least that's what Cortana told him.

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the traverse." Tevos said, adding to Drin's counter-arguments.

"What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue spectre! I demand action!" Udina carried on.

"You _don't _get to make demands of the council, ambassador." Sparatus said in a harsh tone that intended to remind Udina where his position was on the political food chain.

"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren." Tevos said in a tone that was assuring, yet undoubtedly firm. "We will discuss their findings at the hearing. Not before." And with that, the three holograms faded away. Udina balled his fists, looking as though he were ready to punch something. Chief shook his head in disapproval. While it was nice to see that not every Human Ambassador on the Citadel was going to roll over for the aliens without a fight, an asshat who throws hissy-fits like a three-year-old who just got told 'no' wasn't exactly what the spartan had in mind. The ambassador took a moment to calm himself before turning to Captain Anderson, who had lead Chief and his two companions here.

"Captain Anderson...I see you brought half your crew with you." Udina said. He sounded like he was ready blow again at any moment.

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime." Anderson reassured, trying to calm the ambassador down. "Just in case you had any questions."

"I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate?" Udina asked.

"They are." Anderson said with a nod. He smiled. "Sounds like you convinced the council to give us an audience." he added, trying to put a positive spin on the discussion.

"They weren't happy about it." Udina said. "Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."

"Permission to speak freely, Captain?" Chief asked Anderson.

"Granted." Anderson replied.

"Maybe we should just track down Saren ourselves and take him in." Chief suggested. "If we can find him, I can-"

"Not another word, Chief." Udina interrupted. "You've done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the spectres." he pointed an accusing finger at Chief. "The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead, and the beacon was destroyed!"

"That's Saren's fault! Not his!" Anderson yelled back, quick to defend the spartan.

Udina turned his gaze toward the Anderson. If looks could kill, Anderson would be six feet under. To his credit, the captain didn't back down. Chief smiled, appreciating that the captain was willing to defend him. "Then we'd better hope the c-sec investigation turns up something to support our accusations." Udina said at last. He turned to the SPARTAN-II. "Otherwise, the council may use this as an excuse to keep you out of the spectres." He turned back to Anderson. "Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Chief. You and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower in one hour. Top Level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in."

With that, Udina left the office, Anderson close behind. "And _that's _why I hate politicians." Ashley snorted once Udina was out of earshot.

...

The three had an hour to kill before the hearing with the council, so Cortana suggested that the three go on a little tour around the presidium to kill time. Chief then proposed the idea to Kaidan and Ashley, taking credit for Cortana's idea, much to the AI's chagrin. Sometimes it sucked, having to keep yourself a secret from the rest of the galaxy. After the receptionist, an Asari, waved them goodbye, they stopped when a full-size holographic Asari suddenly appeared before a control panel of some kind. She was a see-through hologram as odd patterns danced about her form, not unlike Cortana's design, actually.

"Greetings. Welcome to the Citadel. I am Avina, your virtual guide." The hologram introduced herself.

Chief raised an eyebrow at this. "I thought AI's were illegal in Citadel Space." he said.

"Artificial Intelligences are illegal, as per council law." the hologram elaborated. "I am a virtual intelligence, or VI. As such, while I can perform many functions and answer many queries, I am not self-aware." Avina explained in that cheerfully fake tone.

"In other words, a dumb AI." Cortana observed.

Chief nodded in response. "So, this is the presidium huh? Basically a galactic UEG?"

"UEG. United Earth Governments. A government branch of humanity in which representatives of different territories convene to discuss political matters. That is indeed an appropriate and accurate comparison of the Citadel Presidium." Avina explained. "This area is the embassy area, where ambassadors and representatives come to discuss matters of galactic importance. Several meters to your right is the Citadel Tower, where the Council resides."

"That'll be all." Chief said as he began to walk away, Ashley and Kaidan following in step behind him.

"Thank you for using Avina. Have a pleasant day." the VI said, oblivious that the three humans had already left.

The three made their way through the presidium passing several aliens as well as a few humans, all decked out in fancy clothes. It was likely they were all politicians or similarly influential figures. One massive alien walked by on all fours, and had grey, tough skin like a rhino. Ashley couldn't help but stare as it passed by. "This place is weird." she commented. "I can't tell the people from the animals."

"You think you're uncomfortable?" Master Chief said as he walked past a pair of Sangheili, fighting the urge to whip out his pistol. "From my point of view, half of the aliens on this station were trying to kill me a few days ago."

"Er, sorry. Sir. Didn't mean to offend." Ashley quickly responded.

They eventually came across a strange-looking alien. It looked like a green, insect-like creature and was typing away on some kind of holographic computer screen. Chief stopped to stare at the odd creature.

"Please do not disturb the keepers."

Avina suddenly popped out of nowhere, having apparently detecting Chief's incessant staring. "Keepers?" he asked.

"Little is known about these peaceful servants of the Citadel." Avina began. "Though they are essential to the operation and maintenance of the entire station. Citadel regulations protect the keepers against interference during the performance of their tasks. Obstructing their daily work will result in harsh penalties, including incarceration and rehabilitation. Keepers can be seen in all sections of the Citadel, but are typically found in or around the tower."

"And why's that?" Kaidan asked.

"The keepers do not communicate with other species. It is assumed, however, that the tower houses the citadel's control systems. Many of the stations systems, such as navigation and life support, function automatically. It is believed the keepers operate these systems inside the tower's inaccessible core."

"But no one knows this for sure. It's all just speculation." Chief asked suspiciously.

"Correct." the VI responded.

Chief furrowed his brow underneath his helmet. Once again, Cortana found herself voicing his exact thoughts, if only to him. "I'm starting to notice a pattern with this Citadel Council. Banning slipspace and smart AI's, because they themselves don't use them. Not bothering to study the Keepers or even the Citadel itself, so long as it serves their needs. Apparently, galaxy-shaking revelations make them uncomfortable. They don't like it when somebody comes along to rock the boat."

"If the status quo were a woman, every politician would marry her." Chief silently mused to himself. He turned around and saw a large, tower-like object protruding up into the ceiling. He turned back to the VI.

"The Citadel Tower I presume?" Chief asked, jerking a thumb towards it.

"Correct." the VI replied. "The Citadel Tower is where the Citadel Council conduct their meetings. Their decisions affect all who live in Citadel space."

Chief wasn't surprised. Political leaders seemed to have an odd fixation with large, impressive structures. They toured the presidium a little more. Of note were the relay monument and the Krogan statue. The relay monument was built by the Protheans for unknown reasons, though there are a lot of theories. Kaidan said he heard a low hum, and his teeth tingled whenever he was close to the monument. Chief found that odd. He also learned that the Citadel wasn't really built by any of the Citadel races, but actually the Protheans. The Citadel was merely found and fixed up for use as a galactic hub.

As for the Krogan statue, apparently it was erected in honor of the Krogan, a species that had saved the other citadel races from a hostile species called the Rachni some two thousand years ago. However, the Krogan have fallen out of favor with the council since that war, due to another war called the Krogan Rebellions, in which the Turians were honored for their part. Chief couldn't help but muse on the history of Citadel space. They needed the Krogan to stop the Rachni. Then they needed the Turians to stop the Krogan. So who will they need to stop the Turians?

After a bit of touring, Cortana reminded Chief of the time. He then gave the order to move out towards the tower. They entered the elevator of the tower, and once it closed, it began its ascent.

"I hope they don't ask me any questions." Ashley commented as the elevator ascended.

"I don't see why they would." Kaidan replied. "They have our reports. We just have to trust Udina to make our case."

"No we don't sir." Ashley countered.

After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator doors opened, revealing the Council Chambers. It was a pretty well-decorated place. The walls were a grayish color and the brown floors were polished so finely the spartan could see himself in it. There was also a few gardens and fountains strewn about the hall, with trees that looked like cherry blossoms from Earth. And finally, Chief noted that there were stairs. Lots of stairs.

"You sure do have to climb a lot of stairs to see the council." Kaidan noted, apparently having also made the observation. "Think it's supposed to represent their importance?"

"Probably." Ashley replied. "But I'm willing to bet that these stairs aren't just for show. These would make good defensive positions if this place ever got attacked."

As they ascended the stairs, Chief took in all the sounds of the chambers. The sound of rushing water from the fountains, the sound of birds who were apparently allowed to nest in the trees, but most of all the whispers. Specifically, whispers about him coming from the other people inside the chambers that had undoubtedly taken notice of him. The chambers were sparsely populated, mostly by the three council races; Turians, Asari and Salarians. All politicians, most likely. He heard a lot of varying opinions. They thought they were being discrete, but Chief could easily hear them with his keen sense of hearing. Some seemed impressed with the spartan, citing him as evidence that Humanity is indeed a race to be respected. Others were scared of him, saying that the spartan was proof of how dangerous humanity could be. Then, he heard something that seemed to drown out the whispers. An argument.

"Saren's hiding something!" the voice sounded bold, outraged. And needless to say, the subject matter immediately caught the spartan's attention. "Give me more time! Stall them!"

The spartan turned towards the source of the voice. There were Turians, two of them. One had a black face with white stripes. No surprise there. But the other one was different. His face was covered in varying shades of white, with naught but a single horizontal blue stripe running across his face just under his eyes, with additional blue markings near the joints of his mandibles. Apparently, those markings he'd seen on every Turian really were facial tattoos as opposed to natural markings. Of course, that only made him wonder what the tattoos were supposed to represent.

"Stall the council?" the black-faced Turian asked with mixed hints of contempt and disbelief. "That's kind of like stalling a rabid shatha, Garrus. Your investigation is over."

With that, the black-faced Turian walked off. The white-faced one turned and saw the spartan. He then walked over. Chief knew that this was no combat zone, but kept a hand on his pistol just in case.

"Master Chief?" the Turian asked as he walked up to the spartan. Chief nodded. "Garrus Vakarian." the Turian introduced himself with a nod of his own. "I was the officer in charge of the C-sec investigation into Saren."

"Who was that you were talking to?" Ashley asked.

"Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security. My boss." Garrus answered. Chief still wasn't entirely comfortable with the way Turians talked. The vocal flanging effect they had made them sound as though two voices were talking at once. It was, for lack of a better word, creepy. That said, he could still detect some frustration in the alien's tone.

"You sound like you really wanna take Saren down." Chief observed.

"I don't trust him." Garrus answered. "He's up to something. As you Humans say, I can feel it in my gut. But he's a spectre. Everything he touches is classified. I couldn't find any hard evidence."

"I think the council's ready for us now, Chief." Kaidan said.

"Good luck, Chief." Garrus said as he began to walk away. "Maybe they'll listen to you."

The spartan hoped that, but honestly doubted it. With that, he continued his ascent up to the main council chamber. They soon saw Captain Anderson waiting for them.

"The hearing's already started. Come on." he said as he led Chief to the stand. It was a long, thin ramp that hovered over a glass floor, underneath it was another garden. Ambassador Udina was already there, and was apparently oblivious to Chief and Anderson's arrival. The spartan also found himself in the presence of Councilors Sparatus, Tevose and Valern. Live and in-person this time. Off to the left was a massive hologram of a Turian. Chief assumed it was Saren.

"So that's Saren." Cortana observed. "Wow. He's even uglier than I thought."

"The Geth attack is a matter of some importance." Councilor Tevos admitted. "But there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way." she gestured to the hologram when she said Saren's name, confirming Chief and Cortana's assumptions.

"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason." Councilor Sparatus further clarified.

"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Udina fumed, apparently unable to fathom that he was losing.

"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador." Councilor Valern spoke up. "The testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof." Chief hated to admit it, but Valern had a point. He couldn't imagine that a grunt was a reliable witness, with the way they babble on incoherently and wave their arms around like maracas.

"I resent these accusations." the holographic image of Saren said. "Nihlus was a fellow spectre. And a friend."

"That just let you catch him off guard!" Anderson yelled at the hologram with an accusing finger, much to the Chief's surprise.

"Ah, Captain Anderson..." Saren began. "You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me."

"Oh yeah. These two definitely have a history." Cortana pointed out.

It was then that Saren noticed the spartan's presence. "Ah. And this must be your newest protege'. 'Humanity greatest hero', the one I've heard so much about. The Master Chief."

He paused. "Or do you prefer John?"

Chief's eye twitched at that, his hands immediately balling themselves into fists. He balled them so tightly that, had he not been wearing gloves, he would've cut his palms with his own nails. "How did you..."

"Know your real name?" Saren finished the question for him. "Oh, when I heard you were being considered for the spectres, I simply HAD to do the proper research on you. After studying you, I quickly concluded you were, in fact, _not_ spectre material."

"I killed a lot of bad guys in my time." Chief pointed out, barely able to contain his rage. "Destroyed a lot of enemy encampments."

"Precisely." Saren said. He turned to the council. "This man is, for all intents and purposes, a walking WMD. Everywhere he goes, craters and dead bodies tend to follow."

"No worse than you, Saren." Anderson pointed out.

Saren ignored the captain's comment and continued. "He's about as subtle as a Krogan berserker and has a similar level of skill in diplomacy. And yet, the Humans hail him as a hero." he turned back to the spartan. "What do you think that says about the species?"

"Chief, don't. He's baiting you." Cortana warned. Her warning fell on deaf ears as Chief took a few steps forward and gripped the railings of the stand.

"If you've got something to say, say it!" Chief said in a volume that his throat wasn't used to. It was suddenly sore, but Chief didn't really care at the moment.

"Your species needs to learn its place, John." Saren replied. John. He used it _again_ like it meant nothing. "You're not ready to join the council. You're not even ready to join the spectres!"

"He has no right to say that!" Udina burst in. "That's not his decision!"

"Master Chief's admission into the spectres is not the purpose of this meeting." Councilor Tevos pointed out to Saren.

"This meeting has no purpose." Saren said dismissively. "The Humans are wasting your time. And mine."

"Saren's hiding behind his position as a spectre!" Udina yelled accusingly. At this point, Chief wasn't even paying attention to the meeting anymore. He was just glaring at Saren's hologram now. "You need to open your eyes!"

"What we need is evidence." Valern said. "So far, we've seen next to nothing."

"There's still one outstanding issue." Anderson spoke up. "Chief's vision. It may have been triggered by the beacon."

"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?" Saren argued.

"I agree." Sparatus stated. "Our judgement must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation."

"Do you have anything else to add, Master Chief?" Valern asked.

"...Guess not." Chief said, not taking his eyes off Saren for a moment. Tevos looked at Sparatus, who shook his head. Tevos nodded in acknowledgement, as did Valern.

"The council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren Arterius and the Geth. Ambassador Udina, your petition to have him disbarred from the spectres is denied." Tevos stated.

"I'm glad to see justice was served." Saren said, returning Chief's glare.

"This meeting is adjourned." Tevos said. With that, Saren's hologram faded away while the three councilors walked away. Anderson and Udina walked back to where Ashley and Kaidan were waiting.

"It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain." Udina spoke out. "You and Saren have too much history. It made the council question our motives."

"I know Saren, Ambassador." Anderson replied. "He's working with the Geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire Human race. Every colony we have is at risk. Every world we control is in danger. Even Earth isn't safe!"

"Calm down, Captain! Throwing a temper tantrum isn't going to overturn the council's decision." Udina said, oblivious to the irony of his statement.

"What do we do now?" Kaidan asked.

"As a spectre, Saren's virtually untouchable." Udina said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "We need to find some way to expose him."

As the four talked, Chief remained where he stood, his hands still gripped on the railing. John. That was his real name. That was the name the members of blue team used for him. Linda. Kelly. Fred. Samuel. William. Kurt. To a SPARTAN-II, nothing was more sacred than their true name, only to be openly used by fellow spartans. It spoke volumes of camaraderie and trust between them. No matter how dire the battle, no matter what circumstances they would find themselves in, a spartan would always have their name.

And Saren ruined it. Saren, an alien that had nothing but contempt for humanity, so much so that he even launched an attack on a Human colony, DARED to call Chief by his real name. He had no right to call him that. Chief knew that Cortana was probably right. Saren called Chief 'John' specifically to make the spartan angry. Well, it worked. Not since the day Arthur-079 and Solomon-069 were killed by the Covenant did Chief feel such anger and hatred towards an enemy. Chief was planning on going after Saren anyway. The difference now was that it was personal.

"Chief? You okay?" Ashley asked as she walked up to the spartan.

Chief responded to the question by pulling off part of the railing with his bare hands. Then he put all his inhuman strength in bending and contorting the metal into a pretzel-like shape, imagining that it was Saren's limbs. When he was done, he let out a sigh of relief and casually dropped the metal on the stand. He turned to Ashley. "I'm good." With that, he re-joined the group, with Ashley close behind. His form of stress-relief did not go unnoticed by Anderson, Udina and Kaidan, who now all looked at Chief with wide eyes. The only thing that dared break the silence was the Keeper that scurried over to the stand to fix the railing.

"Alright. What now?" Chief asked.

"We were discussing a way to expose Saren so the council would listen to us." Udina answered cautiously. It was a humbling experience to say the least, seeing a man bend metal with his bare hands. Well, armored hands, but still.

"I suggested we talk to Garrus, that C-Sec investigator we met earlier." Kaidan spoke up. "He seemed close to finding something on Saren. Ambassador Udina says a man named Harkin might know where he is."

"I also suggested speaking with Barla Von." Captain Anderson said. "He's an agent of the Shadow Broker, so he knows information. If anyone on the presidium will know where to find evidence of Saren's schemes, it'll be him."

Chief shook his head. "With all due respect Captain, but the odds of finding additional evidence connecting Saren to the attack on Eden Prime are slim to none. If the council won't do anything about Saren, we need to take matters into our own hands." Chief said resolutely. "As I said before, we need to know where he's hiding and take him in ourselves."

Anderson sighed as he shook his head. "This isn't the same war you fought Chief. We can't just attempt to capture a spectre. If we did, then we'd be the ones being tried for treason. You have two decent leads to people who might know what Saren's up to. Use them." He paused. "That was an order. Am I clear, spartan?"

"...Yes sir." Chief reluctantly said with a nod. He then realized something. "Wait. Us? Leads?"

"We can't contact C-sec again about this." Udina said. "We don't want to alert the council or they might think we're out for blood, giving them more reason to disregard any evidence we find. So it will be up to you to find evidence against Saren."

"With all due respect Ambassador, I'm a soldier. Not a detective." Chief said.

"Well, you ARE a spartan. You were trained to adapt to varying scenarios. So adapt." Udina said. "I need to take care of some business. Captain, meet me in my office later." And with that, Udina walked away.

"Williams, Alenko. Let's move." Chief said after giving Captain Anderson a quick salute. The three then made their way to the elevator. After descending several stairs, they entered the elevator and began their descent down to the presidium.

"I can't believe Saren called yo-"

"I know." Chief said, interrupting Ashley. Wisely, she decided to shut up after that.

"So, what lead will we investigate first, Chief?" Kaidan asked.

"Both." Chief answered resolutely. "You two go find Harkin. I'll go find Barla Von."

"Yes sir." Kaidan said. "The captain said Barla Von is in the financial district of the Presidium. Look for 'Barla Banking.'"

Chief nodded as the elevator arrived on the presidium. He walked towards the relay monument while Ashley and Kaidan went to summoning a rapid transit aircar.

Chief thought back to what Anderson said. That this was no longer the Human-Covenant War. Chief hated to admit it, but he was right. This was a whole new war, and a whole new set of rules. So he'll just have to do what Udina suggested. He'll adapt to the new rules; beat Saren at his own game. One way or another, that Turian was NOT going to get away with what he did to Eden Prime.

Or to John


	7. Saren, at the spaceport, with a pistol

**You know, I'm starting to notice a pattern with my updates. First, I go a while without updating, like up to a month. Then, emboldened by all the feedback, I write up another chapter unusually fast and post that. And then I go back to procrastinating, not updating for a month.**

**Well, see you guys in a month. :P**

_..._

2337 Hours, February 24th, 2683

Presidium Financial District

Citadel

Widow System, Serpent Nebula

...

_Barla Banking_

The sign was basically a television screen built into the wall that only displayed those two words. No fancy animations to grab the attention of passers-by, just a simple sign to let the potential client know they were in the right place.

Chief had managed to calm himself on the way here. Well, perhaps 'calm' wasn't quite the right word. He still wanted to tear Saren's guts out, but now the anger was more focused. Rather than have it be blind, useless rage, Chief had focused his anger to turn it into motivation. One way or another, Saren was going to pay. With that in mind, he entered, intent on grilling this 'Barla Von' for any kind of information he might have.

The room was surprisingly empty. Nothing in it but a few chairs and a desk with another one of those holographic computers that seemed to be quite popular in this century. Standing behind the desk was an alien the spartan hadn't seen before. He was short, about the height of a grunt. He was also very rotund, his belly sticking farther out than any other part of his body. Finally, he seemed to wear a full-body suit of some kind. Not a single bit of flesh seemed visible. Apparently, his species couldn't survive in the pressure levels outside of his suit. Or he didn't breathe the same air. Likely both. He had no weapons of any kind on him, so the spartan didn't consider him a threat.

"Ah, one of the Earth-Clan." the alien said. Chief then heard an odd, breathing sound emit from the short alien's speakers. "And a very famous one at that." He paused for another breath. "You're the one they call Master Chief."

"Wow." Cortana commented. "Short, fat, restricted to a suit, and apparently, asthmatic. I didn't think it was possible, but I think we've discovered a species sadder than the grunts."

Chief couldn't reply to Cortana's colorful commentary out of risk of coming off as a crazy person who talked to a woman who wasn't really there. So instead, he asked the obvious.

"You know who I am?"

"Oh yes." the alien replied before taking another breath. "My job requires me to keep well-informed. When someone as important as you boards the station, I take notice. That, and the way your image has been all over the media, it's rather hard not to recognize you." He breathed again before continuing. "Though I didn't think a spartan would ever have need of my services."

"I'm not here to start a bank account." Chief said. "I need information on Saren Arterius."

"The spectre?" Barla asked. "I'm just a financier. Why would I hav-"

"Don't be cute." Chief interrupted. "I know you work for the Shadow Broker."

The Shadow Broker. Cortana had filled Chief in on him on the way to Barla's. Apparently, she was listening in on the earlier discussion between Udina, Anderson, Alenko and Williams about what to do next while Chief was still fuming. The Shadow Broker was an information broker, a merchant of secrets, and easily the best in the galaxy. He sold government secrets to other governments in exchange for other secrets. Chief didn't like that, instantly becoming worried that humanity had another enemy to worry about, but the interesting thing about the Shadow Broker was the way that, despite all the trading of secrets that could topple entire empires, the balance of galactic power was still somehow maintained, as if all the secrets evened out. At the end of the day, no one really has an advantage over everyone else. Still, it uneased the spartan, knowing that top secret ONI profiles were likely being sold to an alien government somewhere in the galaxy.

"You're very blunt, Chief." Barla noted. "But you're right. I do work for the Shadow Broker." he breathed again before continuing. "As for Saren, the Broker is very upset with him right now. Saren had been a trusted business associate of the Shadow Broker for many years...*breathe*...up until Saren betrayed them."

"What for?" Chief asked. "Why did Saren betray him?"

"I don't know the details." Barla said. "All I know is, the Shadow Broker hired a mercenary to take care of the problem."

Chief crossed his arms over his chest. "That's it? That's all you know?"

"I'm afraid so." Barla replied.

Chief shook his head in disapproval. "You're an agent working for the Shadow Broker. Don't tell me you don't know any more than that."

"I'm afraid I don't, Chief." Barla confessed. "In fact, calling me an agent is generous. I help people in positions of power move money without leaving a trail. Any useful information I find, I pass along to the Broker. That's all that I do for him." he breathed. "The more you know, the more dangerous the game becomes. I don't like danger. I prefer to leave that to people such as you."

Chief grimaced underneath his helmet. Apparently, Barla Von was able to pick up that the SPARTAN-II was less than satisfied with his services.

"If you want to know more, I suggest talking to the mercenary the Broker hired." Barla began typing away on his computer to bring up the necessary information. "The mercenary is a Krogan by the name of Urdnot Wrex. He's currently being held by C-sec at the C-Sec Academy, being questioned, most likely. He might know more than I do."

An alien mercenary. It wasn't the best lead, but it was the only lead the spartan had. Plus, if Chief suspected correctly, the merc was hired to kill Saren, so at least they would have a common goal.

"Thanks for the intel." Chief said. Without waiting for a 'you're welcome', he turned around and left. He looked off to his right and spotted a rapid transit terminal by some trees. An air car will definitely beat walking, that's for sure.

He walked up to the terminal and punched in where he wanted to go. After a few minutes of waiting, an empty aircar automatically landed in front of him and opened up. The spartan climbed inside. The aircar lifted up and began to make its way out of the presidium and towards C-sec Academy.

...

"Here we are." Ashley began. "Millions of light-years away from Earth in a hub of galactic culture, living the way our ancestors dreamed of living hundreds of years ago and what happens? We walk into a bar with several men drooling over women shaking their asses for money." she said as she took in the sights and sounds of Chora's Den. "I don't know if that's funny or sad."

The aircar ride from the presidium to here was around ten minutes, landing in an alley just a few yards away from the bar. It was like any other strip-club in the galaxy. The air was choked with the scent of booze and cigarette smoke. Half-naked Asari danced on top of the bar itself, entertaining the males of various species. Around the edges of the circle-shaped room were nooks in which high-profile customers enjoyed more...private performances. Standing watch over it all like a vigilant sentry was a Krogan bouncer with a crest as black as coal. He stood by a door that presumably led to the bar's back areas. Staff only.

Ashley and Kaidan made their way through the bar. According to Captain Anderson, Harkin was probably somewhere in here getting drunk. He was suspended from C-sec last month for drinking on the job. This was nothing new. Twenty years ago, Harkin was the first Human ever to make it into C-sec, and has been a disgrace to the species ever since. Roughing up suspects, taking bribes, drug and alcohol abuse, he was as dirty as a dirty cop could get. Kaidan and Ashley would rather not associate themselves with such scum, but they didn't have much choice. Master Chief was already investigating Barla Von, so the team would be covering more ground this way.

"There he is." Kaidan said, pointing to a balding man sitting in the corner, having a drink. "Okay Williams, better let me do all the talking."

"Fine by me." Ashley retorted. "I don't wanna give this loser the time of day."

With that, the two walked over to Harkin. Harkin looked up from his drink and scowled at them, less than happy to see a couple of Alliance marines coming to bother him. "Harkin, right?" Kaidan asked. "We're looking for Garrus Vakarian, a C-sec officer. You know where he is?"

With that, Harkin's scowl quickly turned into a devilish grin. "Garrus, huh? You must be part of Captain Anderson's crew."

"Yeah. What of it?" Ashley butted in, much to Kaidan's chagrin.

"Not much." Harkin said with a shrug. "By the way, did the captain ever let you in on his big secret, sweet-cheeks?"

"Sweet-cheeks?" Ashley exclaimed. She moved in closer, but Kaidan put an arm up in front of her, blocking her. He shook his head at her. He turned back to the drunk.

"What secret?" the biotic asked.

"Captain Anderson? Former spectre. Bet ya didn't know that." he snickered at his own joke. It was the kind of snicker that made you wanna punch whoever was doing the snickering in the face. "It was all very hush-hush. The first Human ever given that honor. And then he blew it. Screwed up his mission so bad they kicked him out. He blames Saren. Said the Turian set him up."

"Bullshit." Ashley spat. "If it's so hush-hush, how do _you_ know?"

"Sugar-tits, I spent twenty years working cases here on the Citadel. People on this station love to talk. And hey; secrets are like herpes. If you got 'em, you might as well spread 'em around." he snickered again at his own lewd joke.

Ashley gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She quickly turned to Kaidan, giving him a look that all but BEGGED him to allow her to beat the ever-loving crap out of this pig. Kaidan's face remained stern and stoic though. All he did was turn his gaze to Harkin.

"Do you know where Garrus is, or not?" he asked.

"Garrus was sniffing around Dr. Michel's office." Harkin replied, unable to get that shit-eating grin off his face. "She runs the med clinic on the other side of the wards. Last I heard, he was thinking of going back there."

With that, Kaidan nodded and headed out, Ashley in tow. At least, that was until Harkin said something that pushed Ashley over the edge.

"Oh. And tell that seven-foot freak I said congratulations on making it into the spectres. Oh wait. No he didn't. Never mind."

"That's it." Ashley said as she turned around. Before Kaidan could stop her, she stormed back to Harkin's booth.

"Listen up, asshole. You can sexually harass me all you want, but don't you DARE insult the Master Chief! If it wasn't for him, you, me, and every other human in this whole galaxy would be DEAD."

"You mean you actually _buy _that whole 'woken up from cryo from the year 2552' story? Wow. And I thought blondes were supposed to be the dumb ones." Harkin said. "It's a scam. The Alliance just took some seven-foot guy off the streets, put him in a suit and taught him how to use a gun. They're so desperate to get a human into the spectres, they're willing to dress some poor dumb bastard up like a dead hero."

Ashley pointed a threatening finger in Harkin's face. "Master Chief is NOT a scam." With that, she walked away. Harkin only shrugged in reply and went back to his drinks.

"You okay Williams?" Kaidan asked once Ashley walked back to him.

"I'm fine." Ashley replied. "We got what we came for, let's get out of here. I think I'm getting a buzz from the fumes alone."

Ash marched out of Chora's Den, the anger on her face still very much apparent. Kaidan just followed her, praying that nothing else would happen to further sour her mood.

...

"Hello, ladies." The Sangheili drolled. "Look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he is not me, but if he used Old Spice - Sangheili Edition body wash instead of the same soap scum brutes use, he could smell like he's me. Look down, back up, where are you? You're on the bridge of a mighty Empire cruiser with the man your man could smell like. What's in your hand? Back to me. I have it. It's an energy sword forged from the finest metal and plasma! Look again. The sword is now made of diamonds! Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a brute. I'm driving a ghost."

"Cortana, turn that off." Chief said. "The last thing I want to see on that video monitor is a shirtless elite."

"..."

"Cortana!"

"Hm? Wha?" the AI said as she snapped out of the trance.

"...I'm not even gonna ask." Chief said as he shook his head.

"In my defense, that elite is _ripped._" Cortana replied as she turned off the video monitor.

Chief and Cortana had been riding in a public transit aircar bound for C-sec Academy for about ten minutes now. It was automatically flying towards the appointed destination, but there was a control panel allowing the user to assume manual control of the vehicle if need be. The upside was that the aircar came with its own extranet terminal, so upon her request, Chief plugged in Cortana's AI chip into the extranet-jack to allow her to comb it for information, hopefully information that will be useful to the mission. The downside was, since it was a public access vehicle, commercials often played on the video monitor, such as that one commercial that the SPARTAN-II will never speak of ever again.

Chief looked outside the window to his left. He had to admit, he was impressed by the Citadel. This place wasn't a station. It was a whole city. And this was just one arm. Chief never thought it would be possible in his lifetime; Humans living amongst so many aliens on such a large structure in relative peace. But then again, technically this wasn't his lifetime.

"Penny for your thoughts, Chief?" Cortana asked as her three-dimensional holographic form rose up out of the control panel display.

"Still having trouble getting over that aliens are no longer considered the enemy." Chief said.

"Yeah. Not only that, but Humans are now an active part of a greater galactic community that we had no idea even existed." Cortana replied.

"Yeah. Active part." Chief replied. He shook his head. "The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. Why would the council outlaw slipspace? A new species with a new technology that's vastly superior to their old forms of FTL. You'd think that once peace talks were through, they'd be jumping up and down begging for the original schematics to the Shaw-Fujikawa drive."

"Like I said before; they don't like it when the boat gets rocked." Cortana said. "Can't say I blame them. All these alien cultures and technologies interacting with each other. It must be an incredibly complex social and political system. Having nine new races getting added to their bestiary AND a new form of FTL suddenly drop into their laps with little to no warning might've thrown a monkey wrench into those systems. Plus, I'd imagine slipspace was a tough sell to them."

"What do you mean?"

"Well think about it. On one hand, you've got eezo, the tried and true method of FTL which has served the council for millennia. On the other hand, you've got slipspace, which involves literally _breaking _the laws of physics to open a hole in the space-time continuum and if the drive ever malfunctions, you end up with ships literally disappearing from existence or creating a mini-black hole. Now which one sounds safer and more reliable to you?"

"Don't tell me you're agreeing with them." Chief said.

"I'm not. I'm just saying, I can understand their hesitance." Cortana replied. "But that doesn't matter much now. Once Humans get a seat on the council, we could probably take steps to legalize slipspace. Maybe even improve it."

Master Chief paused. "What's this about the council now?"

Cortana raised a holographic eyebrow. "You mean you didn't figure it out?" she asked. Chief shrugged. Cortana sighed. "You know, sometimes I really do think you're just a mindless barbarian. Humans want a seat on the council, right along side the Turians, Salarians and Asari. That was the whole point of making YOU a spectre! Once one of your own gets into the spectres, a council seat isn't too far off."

Chief was genuinely surprised at this. He knew that his induction into the spectres would increase Humanity's standing in council space, but he had no idea that a council seat was on the line. Humans could become a council race, one of the races that called all the shots. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"I've been searching through various political forums. The rest of the galaxy was really impressed with the way we whooped the supposed big boys on the block, the Turians, at Shanxi. Granted, the covenant races backed us up, but we were the ones who were really leading the charge in that campaign. Every species in citadel space agrees; Humans WILL join the council. It's not a matter of if, but when." Cortana replied with a smile.

Chief smiled a little to himself. This was probably the Alliance's plan all along. Wake him from cryo, make him into a spectre, virtually guaranteeing the Human race a place of galactic power. Kaidan was right. Humans joined the Citadel races not just because they were afraid of another war, but because they saw an opportunity to join a galactic community...and ultimately have power over it. The Alliance wants to show the rest of the galaxy what Humans could do. Their plan; beat the council at their own game.

Humanity really was at war. It just wasn't the kind of war you fight with bullets and bombs.

Chief wasn't blind though. He was essentially a political bargaining chip, a tool, and he knew it. But since it was in service of Humanity, of Earth and all her colonies, he didn't really mind that much. If becoming a spectre would get Humans a seat on the council, if it would get his species the respect it deserves, he'll do it. He wasn't too keen on the idea of working for aliens, but he'd do it. With a new resolve, his mind went back to his current assignment. He couldn't make spectre if he couldn't prove Saren was a traitor. It probably wouldn't help his odds of getting in, but it certainly couldn't hurt them.

"Did you find anything on Saren?" Chief asked.

"Sure did." Cortana said, glad to see that the Chief had found new drive, not just to Saren's apprehension, but Humanity's cause as a whole. "The official files were classified. I was tempted to hack them, but decided not to. I'd rather not risk exposing myself. So I turned to the extranet once again. Mostly rumors, but all of them nasty."

"Go on." Chief said as he looked into the rear-view mirror.

"Torture, bribing, killing anyone standing between him and his goals, Saren is as ruthless as they come." Cortana said.

"And the council ignores it?" Chief asked.

"Saren's a spectre Chief, the highest known authority in council space, second only to the council itself. Spectres are essentially above the law. They can break any law they want, bypass any rule or protocol if it accomplishes their mission." Cortana explained.

Chief furrowed his brow in thought. While it will be nice to complete missions without having to worry too much about red tape, it didn't strike him as a smart move, giving a single operative that much power. "They ARE just rumors, but they're not hard to believe. The council probably looks the other way because regardless of his methods, Saren gets results."

Chief looked into the rear-view mirror again. "I don't suppose you found anything to suggest that he worked with the Geth."

"None." the AI said. "Looks like all our hopes rest with our merc."

"Yeah, about him." Chief said. "What can you tell me about him?"

"I've been looking up his files in addition to Saren's. His were in the C-sec database. I hacked it. It's way easier to fool than a spectre database." Cortana said. "This 'Wrex' guy has a rap sheet that goes on for _miles._"

"That bad, huh?" Chief asked.

"Oh yeah. This guy has done it all. Kidnappings, assassinations, raids, sabotage, you name it, he's killed it." Cortana said. "Oh...and one more thing you should know about him, I think."

"That is?" Chief asked, his eyes darted to the rear-view mirror and then back to Cortana.

"You know how the UNSC considered the elites, the brutes and the hunters to be the only three sapient species in the galaxy capable of going toe-to-toe with a SPARTAN-II and live to tell about it?"

"Yes." Chief said, his interest peaked.

"Well, in this day and age, a fourth species has been added to that list, the species in question being the Krogan. And, lucky us, Wrex is a Krogan merc." Cortana snapped her fingers and various charts detailing Krogan biology appeared on the video screen. "Tough hides, extreme tolerance to radiation and other toxins, and here's the interesting part; they have back-up organs for if any of their major organs get badly damaged. They even have back-ups for some of their back-ups. Combine all of that with an infamously short temper, and you get one of the most dangerous sentient species in the galaxy, rivaled only by the brutes."

"Lucky us." Chief quipped before taking yet another look at the rear-view mirror.

"Okay, you've been looking into that thing every other sentence. Might I ask what's so interesting?" Cortana asked.

"The black airvan that's been following us for the last five minutes." Chief replied matter-of-factly.

Cortana's face went from puzzled to startled. She tapped into the aircar's aft camera. Sure enough, a rather suspicious-looking airvan was following them. "Well, that's ominous." she commented. "Think their intentions are less than noble?"

"I don't know." Chief said. "But I know a way to find out." The spartan pushed a button and a lever and a small keyboard appeared. Chief assumed manual control of the craft. The lever was actually a joystick, used to maneuver the aircar while the keyboard adjusted things like speed, how level it was and so forth. Overall, the set-up wasn't too hard to learn. SPARTAN-II's were trained to be quick studies when it came to using new weapons and piloting new vehicles.

Chief decided to take a detour, turning out of the main airway and into a lower, seedier airway in the shadows of the various buildings. Sure enough, the black airvan followed. Chief's instincts were telling him that a fight was going to break out soon.

The next few minutes was spent by the Chief looking for a spot where an altercation could theoretically take place where collateral damage and civilian casualties can be kept to a minimum. They eventually came to a slummy part of the wards. Hardly an aircar around. They stopped at a traffic light as Chief rolled the window down. The black airvan pulled up next to them. Chief took out a grenade and kept his thumb on the primer, in case his suspicions were correct. The side-door of the van opened up. Chief counted three. Two jackals, armed with the arm-shield that was common for their race and what looked like an updated version of a plasma pistol. The third was a Turian with an assault rifle of some sort.

The spartan's suspicions were correct.

Before they could even raise their weapons, Chief primed the grenade and tossed it, zooming away a nano-second later.

"SHIT!" the Turian yelled.

*BOOM!*

Chief looked into his review mirror to see the van explode, the flaming wreckage then dropping out of the sky onto the street below.

Chief's first assumption was that the covenant was hostile again. That conclusion was quickly ruled out however, considering the approach. If that had been truly Covenant, they would've damn well let the Chief know. Black vans, stalking and taking out a specific target in what looked to be an intended drive-by shooting, it wasn't their style. It was more appropriate for street gangs, merc bands, hired thugs in general. Chief had an idea who hired them.

"Looks like Saren doesn't want us poking our noses where they don't belong." Cortana said, drawing the same conclusion as Chief. "Well, looks like we foiled THAT dastardly plan." It was then that the sound of bullets bouncing off metal began emanating from the back of the car.

"Not yet we haven't." Chief replied as he saw three more aircars behind him. A gunner from each car; a Turian, a Kig-Yar, and a Krogan were all taking pot shots at the car with pistols and submachine guns. Chief whipped out his own pistol and returned with some pot-shots of his own. However it was difficult, driving the car and shooting back at the same time. What he wouldn't give for a co-pilot right about now.

That moment was another in a long line of moments in which Cortana demonstrated an uncanny ability to know exactly what the Chief was thinking.

"I can hack the aircar and take control of it." Cortana said. "I can drive while you shoot."

"Do it." Chief replied before taking another few shots before taking his head and shooting arm back into the window.

"Alright. I've got full control."

"Good, pop the top." Chief said as he put away his pistol and took out his assault rifle. Cortana smiled devilishly at her spartan.

"Ever the subtle one." she noted.

The top window of an aircar can be 'busted' off, similar to the opening of an ODST drop pod, in case of an emergency. Given the fact that thugs were trying to kill them, Chief and Cortana thought this qualified as an emergency. With a hiss, the top didn't open, but FLEW off, hitting the Krogan gunner. The reptilian alien shook his head to shake away the pain and just kept shooting, though his driver was a little disoriented by the impact and almost lost control.

Without the top window to hamper him, Chief was free to stand up in the aircar and let loose a hail of gun fire. He got the driver of the car the Turian was shooting from, the Turian in question had to move the corpse aside in order to keep the aircar from crashing. The thug struggled to drive and shoot at the same time.

"Bet Kaidan and Ashley aren't putting up with anything like this." Cortana stated as she tried to lose the hit squad.

...

"Bet Master Chief isn't putting up with anything like this." Kaidan said as he ducked back into cover after taking a few shots. He and Ashley hadn't walked a dozen feet outside of Chora's Den when they were suddenly ambushed by a mixed hit squad of Turians, Kig-Yar and Salarians. Ashley didn't respond to Kaidan's remark as she was too busy keeping the group at bay with her assault rifle. They were fighting on opposite sides of a gorge with rushing air traffic below. A bridge to the two marines' left united the two sides. Kaidan peeked around the corner, thinking that the bridge could be used to flank them. Only to find one of the Kig-Yar had the same idea, using its arm shield as mobile cover.

"Dammit!" Kaidan swore as he pulled his head back, narrowly avoiding a face full of green plasma. The Kig-Yar arm-shield was circularly-shaped during the Human-Covenant war, looking almost like a symbol. These days though, the arm-shield was in a much more practical shape; a stark rectangle that covered more of the wielders body, with only a small slot on the right side just big enough for the muzzle of a gun to squeeze through, similar to riot shields Human law enforcement officials use. If that Kig-Yar reached them, things would be a whole lot harder for the marines.

Kaidan Alenko was no ordinary marine; he was a biotic and decided to put those abilities to good use. The first thing he did was give himself a biotic barrier. Emboldened by the extra protection, he popped around the corner and fired a biotic warp at the Kig-Yar's shield, which was enough to short it out. Kaidan let loose with his assault rifle, and the bird-like alien breathed its last before collapsing onto the ground in a lifeless heap.

Kaidan turned away from the bridge and popped up from behind the fence, turning his assault rifle on the thugs on the other side, making use of the time he had left before his barrier went away. Sure enough, it did in a few seconds, and Kaidan dipped back into cover. Ashley kept on firing, taking cover only when her rifle overheated, needing a second to cool. Then, her shields suddenly flickered and then blue sparks danced around her suit. Knowing that her kinetic barriers had just depleted, she ducked back behind the fence, poking her rifle out, hoping blind fire will dissuade the enemy from closing in.

"They've got us pinned!" Ashley yelled. "We need to punch a hole in their defenses!"

"I think I've got a way!" Kaidan yelled back. Ashley gave the LT her full attention as her shields recharged. "Get a grenade ready! When I say now, throw it at the Turian on the right! I've got the one on the left!" Ashley nodded as she fished a grenade out of her belt. "NOW!"

With that, Ashley popped out of cover to toss a grenade at the Turian on the right. He had enough common sense to see the projectile coming and duck, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the explosion that came a nano-second after it whizzed by his head. He and several other thugs fell. At the same time, Kaidan hit the Turian on the right with a biotic warp, which was powerful enough to take out the Turian's shields. He followed it up with a biotic lift, the Turian floating up into the air. Once he was high enough, and without his shields, he was easy prey for the two marines' rifles. His corpse drifted through the air and eventually fell back down to the ground right next to them.

"That grenade explosion might've disoriented them enough to break their ranks." Kaidan noted. "You keep them busy, I'll flank them."

Ashley nodded as she resumed her assault. Kaidan switched to his shotgun as he made his way across the bridge, making sure to keep his head down, lest the enemy see him coming. He reached the end of the bridge and peeked around the corner. The thug closest to him was a Turian. The rest were Kig-Yar and Salarians. Perfect.

He came out of cover and hit the Turian with a biotic push. Salarians and Kig-Yar were among the most physically frail species in the galaxy. So a heavier, tougher species, like say, a Turian, barreling towards them out of control would usually take them out of commission. Sure enough the Salarians and Kig-Yar who lined up next to him were knocked over by the flying Turian, the only warnings they got being his startled yelps.

"Williams! Get over here!" Kaidan yelled as he opened fire with his shotgun on a Kig-Yar who hadn't been knocked down. The first shot took out his shields, the second knocked the avian to the ground with a fist-sized hole in his chest. Ashley immediately ran over and took up a position right next to Kaidan. Two Salarians had started shooting at them, but they fell quickly enough. The Turian who had been flying earlier tried to climb out of the heap of moaning bodies to reach for his rifle, only to have it biotically pulled from him. He looked up to see two Alliance marines pointing their guns at him.

"This is the part where we tell you to stand down." Ashley said.

...

It's easy to feel like a helpless victim when you're being pursued by enemy forces in a high-speed vehicle chase. However, no matter how much manpower or firepower the pursuing force is boasting, it was always the quarry who was in control of the situation. The quarry is the one who decides where to take the chase and the pursuers are must follow if they want their objective. Cortana knew about this fundamental tactic and employed it, keeping the chase restricted to the slums of the wards. There wasn't much traffic here, so there was little worry of accidentally hitting civilians in all the shooting. And the airways were relatively narrow, allowing Chief a clear of line of sight at the enemy. However, the narrowness works both ways; the enemy has an equally good line of sight on the Chief. A stalemate.

When tacticians find themselves in a stalemate, they have two choices. Either acquire a new advantage, or use what they have in new ways. The key to breaking a stalemate is to deviate from the formula, mix things up in a way that will catch your enemy off-guard, which will hopefully create a window just big enough to hit through. Master Chief was in a high-speed chase in a narrow airway and was exchanging fire with his pursuers. What can he do to deviate from this formula?

Answer: Stop running.

Chief settled back into his seat. "Cortana, I'm yanking you out." he said.

"Why?" Cortana asked.

"Because you do NOT wanna be in this thing's control panel in about ten seconds." Chief answered.

The AI didn't argue and disappeared from the console. Chief pulled her AI chip out of the console and examined it. Satisfied that she was safe inside, he slipped it back into his helmet and reassumed manual control of the craft. He then did the last thing any pursuer expects his quarry to do in the middle of a chase.

He hit the brakes. Hard.

Two cars zoomed past, but the third was not so lucky. It collided with the aircar full stop, the front half crunching and merging with the target's back half. Having sustained too much damage to stay aloft, both cars plummeted thirty feet to the ground. Chief braced himself for impact.

With a crash, both vehicles hit the ground right in the middle of the street. The other two cars zoomed away, only turning around after realizing what happened. Chief climbed out of the wreckage, but he was not alone.

The Krogan gunner climbed out of his own aircar, or rather what was left of it. His driver was dead, but the Krogan was still itching for a fight. He then held up what the Chief could only describe as the single biggest shotgun he had ever seen. It was black and was almost as long as the spartan's arm. The Krogan aimed and fired, hitting only the metal ground however, as the Chief had already begun moving. He wasn't as fast as Kelly-087, but he was definitely faster than this overgrown toad. The hit man didn't even have time to pump his shotgun after the first blast before the Chief hit the Krogan across the eye with a good punch. The Krogan staggered a bit but, aside from a newly-swollen eye, he didn't seem all that perturbed and charged back at his armored foe.

Not many species can keep going after a solid punch from a SPARTAN-II. Chief briefly wondered what it would take to kill a Krogan as he noticed the other two cars approaching fast. Rather than leap out of the way of the Krogan's tackle, he grappled with the alien and positioned him between himself and the guys with the guns. Sure enough, the Krogan made a good meat shield as rounds from the other two gunners dug into his back. The Krogan however, snarled and headbutted the Chief with enough force to make him stagger back a few steps. The Chief quickly composed himself though as he fled into an alley.

He navigated the maze of alleyways, looking for a place to set up a good ambush. He could hear the thugs yelling and arguing with each other, likely about the crash and where their mark went. Chief then found a dumpster.

"Not the most original hiding place, but it'll work." Cortana commented. The spartan leapt into the dumpster. He waited a few minutes as he slowly took out his shotgun. His eyes darted to the motion tracker on the bottom-right corner of his HUD. Four subjects, designated as hostiles by Cortana. He saw one approach his dumpster. He readied himself. The lid cracked open ever so slightly as a grunt's face looked in.

*BLAM!*

Only to receive a face full of buckshot for his curiosity. Chief leapt out of the dumpster and rushed to his would-be assassins, trusting his shields to absorb the impact. There were three left; the Krogan, flanked by a Kig-Yar and a Turian on either side. He wanted these thugs alive. He already knew who hired them, but he'd like a chance to hear it himself.

While one wouldn't think that a super-soldier wouldn't have any need for skills in non-lethal combat, SPARTAN-II's were trained to take on just about any kind of mission, to succeed in any kind of scenario. And though they were rare, there were times that required targets to be taken alive. When such a need arises, many spartans employ a strategy used by martial arts experts when they fought without the intention to kill or seriously injure; striking with an open palm as opposed to a closed fist. Master Chief dropped his shotgun and struck the jackal first, hitting him with an open palm strike right to the chest, sending him to the ground. He effortlessly dodged the Krogan's attempted swing at him and delivered a series of strikes to the Turian, knocking the weapon out of his hands and knocking him to the ground. Finally, there was the Krogan. Chief switched to closed fists. The Krogan proved he could take it.

The three thugs were on the ground, moaning in pain. The Krogan reached for his shotgun, but it was quickly snatched up by the Chief. "Get up." he ordered. The three thugs shakily got up and faced the spartan. "Why were you trying to kill me?"

"We were being paid to." the jackal answered. Chief raised an eyebrow at him. It was the first time he had ever heard a jackal speak his language. His distinct accent was very odd, sounding like a fusion between Russian and Spanish. The Krogan gave the avian a dirty 'keep your beak shut' look before turning back to the spartan.

"Alright. Who was paying you to try to kill me?" Chief asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know." the Krogan spat.

"Yeah, I would." Chief said. He pumped the shotgun. "Give me a name and I might not pull the trigger. That's more than I give most people."

The Krogan snorted. "You're bluffing. That's an M-250 Claymore Shotgun you're waving around. Humans can't handle the kick." He smiled. "You'll break your arm if you shoot one of us. Doubt you'd be in much position to be making demands then."

Then, the Kig-Yar quickly took out a concealed weapon as did the Turian. Chief reacted. He fired a blast at the jackal, sending him flying five yards easy. He pumped the shotgun as his shields absorbed three shots from a pistol and not a shot more as the Turian joined the jackal in death. He turned the gun towards the Krogan and pumped.

"That's funny. My arm feels fine." Chief said, much to the Krogan's shock. The old UNSC weapons had a kick to them alright, but this shotgun took the cake in terms of recoil. Chief probably really would have broken his arm if his augmentations didn't include carbide ceramic ossification that made his bones virtually unbreakable. The Krogan didn't know this though, and was surprised to have found out the hard way. The fact that his two associates fell in under two seconds didn't help.

"What the hell are you..." he hissed after getting over his initial shock, glaring at the Chief.

"I'm a spartan." Chief replied. "Your employer's name. Now."

"Go to hell!" the reptilian alien spat.

Chief weighed his options. The Krogan had no other weapons, none that could be seen anyway. Chief could kill him right here and now if he wanted to. But in all honesty, he didn't really want to. Hostile alien or not, he was now an unarmed prisoner. Ruthlessly executing him under these circumstances would be unethical. On the other hand, he couldn't very well allow the Krogan to walk away.

"You know Chief, we WERE on our way to C-Sec..." Cortana inputed. Chief smiled at that.

With once again unnatural speed, Chief rushed up to the Krogan and cracked the butt of the shotgun over his head, knocking him out cold.

...

"I don't know about this sting, Tallis." the Asari C-Sec officer nervously said. "When Fist finds out the deal was a setup, he's gonna be pissed."

"That's the idea, M'lani." Tallis, M'lani's Turian partner and mentor said. "If he gets pissed off, he makes mistakes."

"Well...you'll have my back, right?"

"You know it, kid." Tallis said with a teasing punch to the shoulder.

Officer Varn Tallis and Rookie Officer Toria M'lani were on a landing pad outside the C-Sec Academy, which was considered by many to be C-sec's primary base of operations. The two officers were planning a sting operation later that evening for drug dealers working for Fist, a notorious crime lord on the Citadel who owned a sleazy strip club in the lower wards. It was then that the two officers turned and noticed a public transit aircar landing on the pad, and an abnormally tall, armored Human climbed out. He walked over to the two.

"You two with C-sec?" he asked.

"Indeed we are." Tallis replied. "Anything we can help you with?"

"Follow me." The Human instructed. Tallis followed, M'lani close behind. The Human opened the hatch of the aircar to reveal the passenger; a tied up Krogan with a claymore shotgun on the floor of the car.

"He tried to assassinate me. I retaliated in self-defense." the Human explained to the two stunned C-sec officers.

"You retaliated by tying him up?" M'lani exclaimed.

"Yup." the Human replied.

"And the shotgun?" Tallis asked.

"Evidence. I figured that, more likely than not, it was illegally obtained, so I'm handing it over to you guys." the Human then walked to the entrance of C-Sec Academy. "He's all yours."

M'lani just watched the Human enter the building, her jaw still agape. She turned back to her partner. "That...was weird."

"Welcome to law enforcement, kid." Tallis said.

...

The elevator ride down finally ended at what looked like a lobby of some kind. Chief stepped out after the door opened, and took a look around. About twenty feet in front of him was yet another elevator...which made Chief question why there was another elevator twenty feet in front of him. He decided to write it up to strange alien architecture and leave it at that, deciding there were more important things to think about. He noticed that C-Sec didn't discriminate when it came to species. Turians, Asari and Salarians were in no short supply, no surprise there. But he also saw several Covenant species in C-Sec garb. Elites, jackals, even grunts. The latter still seemed to follow the 'stay with the big guy' philosophy of combat, evident in how a Turian was seen leading four grunts from one location to another. He also noticed, to his pleasant surprise, that there were several humans working in C-sec as well. They were hardly the majority, but their presence was still noticeable. He also noticed the armaments of the various officers. Assault rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, it seemed like C-sec was more military than law enforcement. Then again, on a station where all manner of sentient life forms coexisted, complicated problems were all but inevitable and a little extra firepower might be necessary to keep everyone in line.

"I looked up Wrex's mug-shot." Cortana said. "He has a red crest with some nasty scars running down the right side of his face. So at least he won't be hard to miss."

Chief looked off to the right, and saw a Krogan matching Cortana's description having a 'friendly chat' with a Sangheili C-Sec officer and two Kig-Yar officers, likely not of his own choice. "There's our guy." the spartan said as he walked over to the group. As he drew closer, he was able to overhear the conversation more clearly.

"Witnesses saw you at Chora's Den yesterday making threats towards Fist." the elite said. "I have little love for scum like him, but I am under orders to make sure you don't break any laws during your stay. Stay away from that place."

"I don't take orders from you." Wrex replied. His voice was deep, same as that other Krogan's voice, but nowhere near as obnoxious.

"You'll have to." the elite said. "I know you're a bounty hunter, Krogan. C-Sec is currently building a case against Fist. Soon, he will no longer be a problem to whoever hired you. Do not interfere. This is your first and last warning."

Wrex snorted. "Wow. You _really _love the sound of your own voice, don't you?" he chortled. "You should warn Fist. I will kill him."

"Of course you realize, I can arrest you for saying that." the elite cop pointed out.

"You can try." Wrex stated as though it were a challenge.

"Tempting." the Sangheili replied. "Unfortunately, I can not. You haven't done anything illegal. Yet. You're free to go, but know that my eyes are upon you, Krogan." With that, the Sangheili and his Kig-Yar entourage walked away.

"I'm flattered, but I prefer females." Wrex cracked. If the elite heard, he chose to ignore it. The Krogan then turned to what looked like an unusually tall Human wearing armor. He also noticed he was looking right at him. "Something you want, Human?" he asked in that deep, rumbling voice.

"Urdnot Wrex?" Chief asked. The Krogan nodded. "Barla Von told me that you might have information that has something to do with the spectre Saren Arterius."

"Barla Von's a wise man." Wrex replied. The Krogan smiled. "Now why would a spartan want information on Saren?"

"You know who I am?" Chief asked.

"Who doesn't? Ever since they woke you up outta that freezer, you're all the Humans ever talk about on this station." Wrex elaborated. Chief suddenly found himself hoping that Admiral Hackett DOES eventually find out whoever leaked Chief's existence to the media and stick them with a desk job.

"Saren attacked a Human colony. I plan on making him pay for it." Chief said. "You have evidence that Saren's a traitor?"

"No. But I know someone who does." Wrex said. "A few days ago, a Quarian arrived on the Citadel. She wanted to trade information for a safe place to hide. So she went to Fist, a crime boss in the lower wards, who she knew worked for the Shadow Broker."

"How does this involve Saren?" the spartan asked.

"He's the one she's hiding from." the Krogan answered. "She has evidence connecting Saren to the Geth. Naturally, Saren doesn't want anyone to see it."

Chief's eyes widened underneath his helmet. He was hoping this mercenary could provide him with another clue, but he did more than that. He all but pointed the way with a neon arrow. "Jackpot!" Cortana exclaimed. "If I had a body, I'd kissthis Krogan!"

"Where's the Quarian now?" Chief asked.

"Last I heard, Fist still had her." Wrex answered. "Probably somewhere inside his club, Chora's Den, in the lower wards. You help me kill Fist, she's all yours."

Chief thought about it for a second. He had fought against mercenaries before during the outer colony rebellions. They were thugs, guns for hire that only sided with whoever was paying the most. He had also fought _with _mercenaries before. And having them as allies didn't do much to change his opinions of them. Still, in war, you can't be too picky about who your friends are. Chief didn't trust this Krogan as far as he could throw him, but he'll work with him if it accomplishes the mission.

"Fair enough." Chief replied. "Come on. We're heading out."

Chief and Wrex made their way to the elevator. "Chief, I'm getting a transmission from Kaidan." Cortana said as the elevator door closed on the spartan and the mercenary.

"Chief, this is Kaidan. Where are you?"

"C-Sec Academy." Chief replied. "I think I have a lead on Saren."

"So do we." Kaidan said. "Can you meet us at the Med Clinic on Kithoi Ward level 21?"

"Wrex, where's Chora's Den?" Chief asked the merc.

"Kithoi Ward level 20." the alien replied. Chief nodded. Good. The rendezvous point is just one level above the target area.

"Kithoi Ward level 21 sounds good. Meet you there." Chief said.

"Roger that Chief. Over and out." Kaidan said.

"I take it we'll be meeting up with the rest of your squad?" Wrex asked.

"Yup." Chief replied.

"Good. I've got a feeling Fist will know we're coming. The more guns we've got, the better." the merc said.

Chief wasn't worried. If he could board scarabs and then blow them up, he was fairly sure he could handle a strip club.

...

The aircar ride was smooth. Course at that point, the spartan's definition of 'smooth' meant 'devoid of any firefights.' After about fifteen minutes or so, they arrived on level 21 of the Tayseri wards. Ashley and Kaidan were rather surprised by the presence of the Krogan bounty hunter.

"Chief. What is - "

"Williams and Alenko, Wrex. Wrex, Williams and Alenko." Chief interrupted Ashley and got the introductions out of the way. "Wrex knows someone who has evidence proving Saren's guilt."

"Really?" Kaidan asked.

"A Quarian being held by Fist." Wrex elaborated. "If you wanna prove Saren's a traitor, she's your best chance."

"Fist..." Ashley said. She turned to Kaidan. "Isn't he the guy those other guys were working for?"

"What other guys?" Chief asked.

"While we were waiting for you, some guys showed up. They mentioned their boss's name, Fist." Ashley said. "They went into the clinic about seven minutes ago."

It was then that distressed screaming was heard from the clinic. Chief sprung into action. He ran up to the side of the door, drawing out his assault rifle. Wrex wasn't far behind as he took the other side of the door. With his acute hearing, Chief listened in.

"I didn't tell anyone! I swear!" a distressed female voice pleaded.

"That was smart, Doc." a menacing male voice replied. "Now, if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut, or - "

At this point, Chief knew enough about the situation. Fist's men were intimidating a woman inside into silence. This may or may not be relevant to the spartan's mission, but either way, he wasn't about to let a bunch of lowly criminals prey on some hapless civvie. The door opened as he swung around, rifle at the ready. One of the goons noticed the spartan and grabbed the woman. Using her as a human shield, he pointed his pistol at the spartan. "BACK OFF!" he yelled.

"Drop your weapon!" Chief yelled back. It was then that he noticed a Turian sneaking around, crouching behind the half-wall that stood between the spartan and the thug. Chief instantly recognized him as Garrus Vakarian, the C-Sec officer who was in charge of the investigation into Saren. The Turian swung around with his pistol and pulled the trigger. With a bang and a spurt of blood, the thug slumped to the ground. The woman ducked behind her desk as Garrus engaged the thugs in a firefight.

"Move in!" Chief yelled. He, Kaidan, Wrex and Ashley lined up behind the half-wall and opened fire on the remaining thugs with their assault rifles. Between those and Garrus's pistol, they didn't last long. Chief leapt over the half-wall to inspect the damage.

"Perfect timing, Chief." Garrus complimented, earning the spartan's attention. "You distracted that bastard long enough to give me a clear shot at him."

"Clear shot?" Chief said as he looked down at the corpse in question. "A few more centimeters to the right and the hostage would be the one on the ground."

"Er...well, there wasn't time to think. I just reacted. I..." Garrus turned to the woman as she came out from the desk. "Dr. Michel? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Thanks to you. All of you." the woman said. She apparently worked in the clinic since she was addressed as 'Dr.'

"Who were those guys?" Kaidan asked.

"They work for Fist." she replied in what sounded like a Russian accent. "They wanted to shut me up. Keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian."

"The one I told you about, Chief." Wrex added.

"What do you know about the Quarian?" Chief asked the doctor.

"She came by my office a few days ago. She was hurt, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker, wanting to trade information for a place to hide." Michel explained.

"So you put her in contact with Fist." Chief said.

"Yes. He works for the Shadow Broker." Michel replied.

"Not anymore." Garrus corrected. "Now he works for Saren. He must've paid Fist a small fortune for her, so he'll be giving her and the information to Saren instead of the Broker. And the Broker isn't too happy about that."

"That's why he hired me to kill Fist in the first place." Wrex added.

Chief turned to the Krogan, not happy about _just _finding out Fist worked for Saren. "Why didn't you mention that before?"

"You never asked." Wrex replied with a shrug.

"This isn't good." Cortana said, unheard by all but the Chief. "Chief, if the Quarian went to Fist, and Fist is working for Saren..."

"The Quarian's being led into a trap." Chief concluded, stating it not just to Cortana but to everyone else. "We have less time than we thought. We need to hit Chora's Den. Now."

"Wait, I don't get it. Why's the Quarian so important?" Garrus asked.

"She has evidence linking Saren to the Geth." Chief answered.

Garrus's eyes widened. "You're kidding." His gaze and tone then turned to steel with determination. "If that's the case, I'm coming with you. I want to take Saren down as much as you do."

"Didn't think a Turian would be so eager to take down another Turian." Ashley commented.

Garrus shot the marine a dirty look. "I couldn't find the proof I needed!" he snapped. "But I know what's really going on. Saren's a traitor to the council and a _disgrace _to my people!"

So that was Garrus's main motivation. To uphold the good name of his species. Chief honestly couldn't blame him. Hell, the spartan would probably be just as pissed if a Human attacked an alien colony unprovoked. "I'll take all the guns I can get." the SPARTAN-II said. "Now let's move."

With that, the spartan was off, his two Human companions and his two new alien companions followed. Chief was on a warpath now that he had a good, clear lead. He was going to Chora's Den, march into Fist's office, and demand the Quarian, at gunpoint if need be. And he would feel damn sorry for anyone who got in his way.

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): KIG-YAR**

_Kig-Yar are a ruthless, mercantile race that once was a part of the Covenant. They were one of the few species that showed little commitment to Covenant religion, most Kig-Yar soldiers being mercenaries who were only fighting because they were being paid to. When the Covenant splintered at the end of the Human-Covenant war, the surviving Kig-Yar population retreated to their tropical home world of Eayn, where they remained until they rebuilt their government, the Kig-Yar Confederacy, in 2564._

_When the Kig-Yar Confederacy re-established contact with the UNSC and the Sangheili Empire in 2566, the other two governments did not trust the avians, but the Kig-Yar had claimed that they had reformed their society into a peaceful merchant culture. While 'merchant' is accurate, 'peaceful' is relative. Kig-Yar mercenaries are still among the most common merc races in the galaxy, and most merchants are shrewd at best, cut-throat at worst._

_After being granted an embassy on the Citadel in 2665, the Kig-Yar quickly made clear their intentions to become a commercial powerhouse in Citadel space, establishing various trade routes, founding many businesses and offering their financial services to other species. This has put the Kig-Yar in something of a rivalry with the Volus, who were the principal trading race prior to the Kig-Yars' induction._

_Kig-Yar were, and still are, infamous for their cunning, persistence, and overall ruthlessness. In 2552, those traits allowed them to be excellent scouts, snipers, and pirates. In 2683, those very same traits allow them to be excellent financiers, politicians, and lawyers_


	8. Party Like a Spartan

**Hey guys. Sorry it's been a whole month AGAIN. But I'm sure that...wait what was that?...It's only been like two weeks?...You mean if I really apply myself, I could churn these chapters out on a weekly or biweekly basis for at least a little while?...**

**Alright then. Here's the latest chapter, see ya next week :)**

...

0015 Hours, February 25th, 2683

Kithoi Ward Level 20

Citadel

Widow System, Serpent Nebula

...

"Looks like Fist shut the place down." Garrus noted as the five-man squad approached the bar on the lower wards. The Turian seemed to be right. The neon Asari bolted to the wall, usually inviting passers-by to partake in her pleasures, was now dark, signifying the bar was closed.

"I had a feeling Fist would know we're coming." Wrex added. Indeed, it made sense to the spartan. Mercenary hired to kill him, his men failing to report in, Fist could put two and two together.

"Alenko. You were in here earlier, right? Give me a layout." Chief said.

"Circular room just beyond that door, with the bar itself in the center." Kaidan said, pointing at the door. "We saw a door leading to the offices, but we weren't able to investigate beyond that."

"Didn't seem like a very defendable position." Ashley added. "We can take them."

"Don't be so sure." Wrex corrected. "I've raided night clubs before. If a crime lord's got enough guys and guns, he can turn it into a fortress."

Chief turned to the female marine. He pointed to her, and then to the door; she had point. Ashley nodded and jogged over to the door, the spartan not far behind, each one taking position beside the doorway. The other three lined up along the wall next to Ashley. The plan was simple; once they breached the door, Ash and Chief would head in first, followed by Kaidan, Wrex and Garrus, in that order. Ash hit the open button on the door.

The button just turned red and made a buzzing noise.

Ashley quirked an eyebrow and tried again.

Another buzzing noise.

"Dammit, it's locked." Ash snapped.

"Can we blow it?" Chief asked.

"Doubtful." Garrus said. "All we have are grenades. These Citadel doors are tough. It'll take more than a standard-issue fragmentation grenade to bring it down."

"We need to bring in something heavier." Kaidan said.

"We don't have time. We need to secure that Quarian _now._" Chief said.

"Alright. Maybe I can hack it." Kaidan said as he walked over to the door. He activated his omni-tool and started pressing buttons. He became increasingly frustrated when he found he couldn't hack it. "The hell? It's just a door."

"Let me try." Garrus said as he walked over to the door, activating his own omni-tool. He tapped it a few times before realizing what the problem was. "Son of a bitch, it's a Gatekeeper 7.14 security program. This is the kind of security program you only see in corporate offices. What's it doing in a strip club?"

"Shadow Broker's got deep pockets." Wrex elaborated. "Fist has a cushier position than most criminals."

"Can it be hacked?" Chief asked.

"Only if you've got a super-computer for a brain." Garrus replied.

Little did Garrus know that that sentence gave a certain AI the chance to show off a new trick she had been working on...

"Hey Chief. I've got an idea." Cortana said. "Okay, repeat after me..."

"Maybe I can hack it." Chief said aloud. Garrus turned to the spartan.

"You sure?" the Turian asked.

"Only one way to find out." Chief answered as he walked up to the door.

"Alright, now activate your omni-tool." Cortana instructed. Chief did just that. However, when he did, he noticed that the omni-tool holographic 'glove'-like interface was now a light blue instead of gold...the same shade of blue as Cortana's holographic avatar, Chief noted. "I've been studying your omni-tool, and I think I can work it while I'm in your armor. Press some random buttons to make it look like your actually doing something. Don't worry, it won't mess with what I'm doing at all."

Chief did as the AI advised and began pressing some random buttons to make himself look busy. It was moments like these that made Chief genuinely glad to have Cortana with him. Many times throughout the Human-Covenant war, her insight had saved the spartan's hide.

"Almost got it." Cortana said. She was willing to acknowledge that it was an impressive security system, but she was more than a match for it. "Oh, by the way, I'm detecting multiple hostiles. Mostly thugs with guns. So yeah. You might want to take cover once that door opens."

Chief smiled underneath his helmet. He had something else in mind.

No sooner did the door open did Chief dive in, drawing his assault rifle. The thugs immediately began firing.

"Not one to wait for a fight I see." Wrex chuckled as he charged through the door after Ashley and Kaidan went in. Garrus was last, providing support fire with his own rifle.

For being common thugs, they put up a surprisingly better fight than the spartan anticipated. Clearly, this wasn't the first time their bar became a battleground. Still, they were no match for a spartan, a mercenary, an officer and two marines.

Chief leapt over the bar with his shotgun at the ready and quickly disposed of the three thugs who were using the bar as cover. He turned to two other thugs and was about to blast them away with a-

*BLAM!*

Not since fighting along side another SPARTAN-II was Chief actually _beaten _to a kill.

One of the thugs quickly dropped to the ground upon receiving a shotgun blast from an unknown source. The same source hit the other thug with a biotic warp. Apparently, Kaidan had gotten around the Chief somehow. Chief turned...

To find Urdnot Wrex thrusting a hand outward that was wrapped in a blue aura, leaving the thug floating helplessly in the air. Wrex then shot the poor defenseless man, sending the new corpse flying across the room. Apparently, Wrex was a biotic.

The Krogan turned to the spartan. "That makes four." he boasted.

"...Three." Chief replied. Wrex grinned ear-to-ear. "Didn't know it was a contest." Chief added. Another thug came out of cover and began firing at the two, but was then taken down by further shotgun rounds.

"Got 'em." Wrex and Chief said in perfect unison. They turned to each other.

"I saw him first." Wrex scowled.

"I reacted quicker." Chief replied.

"Uh, Chief." Cortana said. "Angry Krogan, twelve o' clock."

Chief clicked the audio button on his helmet to temporarily turn off his speakers. "I know that. I'm arguing with him."

"No, the _other _angry Krogan." Cortana pointed out, highlighting a signal on her spartan's motion tracker. Chief turned and saw a Krogan with a black crest come at them with a shotgun. He took cover back behind the bar before taking shots at him. Wrex was a little bolder and stood his ground, refusing to use cover.

Then, the Krogan was wrapped in a blue glow and was pinned to the ground by the biotic force. He then was hit by a warp followed by several rounds from at least three assault rifles, followed by a direct hit from a grenade. Needless to say, he was dead or at the very least close to being dead when the onslaught stopped.

Chief and Wrex looked over to see Ashley, Garrus and Kaidan, all with still-hot rifles, the latter wrapped in a biotic glow.

"I could've done that." Wrex scoffed.

"Clear." Chief said. "Fist is in the back with the Quarian. Keep moving and check your targets." he went on as he jumped over the bar and proceeded to the back. The group soon came upon a door.

"Alright, so when they come through the door, we gotta stand our ground man!" a voice from beyond the door nervously proclaimed. "Show no fear!"

The door opened, revealing a Human and an Unggoy. The Human drew a pistol. "Stop! Don't come any closer or we'll shoot!"

"We?" the Unggoy yelped in shock. He turned to the squad. "I'm not with him!" he pointed to his Human friend. "Anything he says, anything he does, I do NOT support!"

"Warehouse workers." Garrus noted. "Guess we killed all the real guards on the way in here."

Chief shook his head before walking up to the worker. "Stop! Or I'll-"

Chief snatched the pistol out of the man's hand before he could finish his sentence, and dropped it onto the ground. With all his strength, the spartan stomped on the pistol, making it into little more than a pile of scrap, much to the man's horror.

"Leave." Chief said.

"We were just on our way out!" the Unggoy said as he, true to the spirit of his race, fled out of the door, babbling in terror with arms flailing.

"Wait for me!" the Human yelled as he fled out the door after his diminutive co-worker.

"Would've been quicker to just kill 'em." Wrex noted.

"Shooting isn't always the answer." Kaidan pointed out.

The group moved on to another door, and quickly arrived in Fist's office. The Human looked to them and scowled.

"If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself!" He said as he activated two auto-defense turrets which began to open fire on the group while he took out a shotgun. Chief and Kaidan dashed to the right side of the room while the rest stayed behind a corner.

"Alenko! Warp one of those turrets!" Chief yelled. Kaidan nodded as he came out of cover and threw a warp at one of the turrets, taking out its shields. Wrex did the same to the other turret, knocking its shields out as well. The Krogan then gave himself a biotic barrier and roared as he charged forward at the Human, his barrier absorbing the turret and shotgun rounds as he knocked Fist to the ground upon hitting him like a freight train. Wrex provided the rest of the group a good distraction. While the turrets aimed and fired at the Krogan, the rest of the group fired on the turrets, eventually destroying them. Wrex kept his shotgun trained on Fist. He wasn't going to kill him yet though. He and Chief still had a deal, and the biotic Krogan was going to uphold his end of the bargain. The spartan walked up to the crime lord cowering on the ground.

Now that he wasn't trying to kill them, Chief got a better look at him. Fist had a square face and black, buzz cut hair like he just got out of the military. That, combined with the scar running along the right side of his jaw suggests that he did have a military background of some sort before turning to a life of crime.

"Look, I'll give you whatever you want! Just don't kill me!" he begged.

"You have a Quarian in your custody. One that has evidence against Saren Arterius." Chief said as he took out a pistol and pointed it at Fist's head. "Where is she?"

"She's not here! I don't where she is!" Fist confessed. "It's the truth! I swear!"

"He's no use to you anymore." Wrex said. "Lemme kill him..." he added. He sounded a little too eager to do it too.

"Wait!" Fist yelped. "I don't know where she is, but I know where you can find her!" he got up, holding his hands up as he stood upright. "She wanted to deal with the Shadow Broker directly. So I set up a meeting between her and the Broker in the back alley by the markets."

"Impossible." Wrex said. "Nobody meets with the Shadow Broker in person. Even I was hired through an agent."

"She didn't know that." Fist said. "Saren's men are gonna pick her up there in a few minutes."

"Kill her before she can talk, you mean." Garrus said with an accusing finger.

Chief turned to Wrex, who wore the kind of smile a lion wears just before closing in on some hapless wildebeest. Chief didn't like what was about to happen next. But a deal was a deal. Besides, few would mourn someone like Fist.

"Thanks for the info." Chief said after turning back to Fist. No sooner had the words left Chief's mouth did Wrex pull the trigger and Fist got a gut full of buckshot as a reward for his cooperation.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Ashley yelled.

"The Shadow Broker hired me to kill Fist." Wrex replied as he put away his shotgun. "I don't leave jobs half-finished."

"Let's move." Chief said. "That Quarian's dead if we don't."

...

Thankfully, the alley wasn't too far from Chora's Den, and it only took Chief all of two minutes to get there. A few more seconds passed before the rest of his squad managed to catch up to him. Chief might've deliberately ran a little slower than he normally would, so his team wouldn't be too out of breath by the time they caught up with him. It's hard, keeping up with a SPARTAN-II.

Chief peeked around the corner. It looked like they got here just in time. There was Saren's men; a Turian and two Salarians. And there was, apparently, the Quarian. Her figure was little more human in shape than Chief thought it would be. She was around five-foot ten or so and the only things giving her away as an alien were digitigrade legs and the odd suit she wore, likely worn for similar reasons as the Unggoy or Volus; she didn't breathe the same air as other species, didn't live in the same pressure, or both.

Chief turned to Garrus and Kaidan. He pointed two fingers at each of them, and pointed at the other side of the opening to the shady alley. They both nodded and crept over there with utmost silence. He pointed to Ashley and pointed to a crate. He then formed a circle with his fingers and thumb around where his eye would be, as if he were looking through a telescope. Ashley nodded, fully understanding, before creeping up to the crate and getting her sniper rifle ready. Chief turned to Wrex. He pointed to himself then the Krogan. He then pointed to the floor. Wrex nodded. He and Chief stayed where they were and observed the scene. The Chief's plan; set up an ambush for Saren's goons. They had them outmatched, outgunned, and outnumbered so it shouldn't be too hard. Still, they couldn't just rush in whenever they wanted. The Quarian was a VIP, so they had to wait for an opportunity to get her out of harm's way before engaging.

"Where's the Shadow Broker?" Chief heard the Quarian ask.

"He'll be here." the Turian drawled. "Don't worry..." he started caressing the Quarian's arm. "Where's the evidence?"

"Forget it." the Quarian said, slapping away the Turian's hand. "The deal's off."

The Turian stood there a moment, then turned to the two Salarians and nodded towards the Quarian. The other two assassins whipped out their pistols. Chief turned to Ashley who nodded, indicating she was ready. Chief gripped his rifle. Once Ashley had a clear shot at the Turian, he'd move in to secure the Quarian while everyone else would provide cov-

*BOOM!*

The spartan's train of thought was derailed as the Quarian lobbed a grenade out from her belt at the two Salarians, knocking them to the ground, and disorienting the Turian enough that she managed to take cover behind a crate and start shooting with her pistol.

"Cover me!" Chief yelled as he rushed in. It was one of the easier firefights Chief had been in the last twenty-four hours. He rushed up to the Turian and stuck him with the butt of his rifle right across the face. He did so with such force that he heard a sickening crack as the Turian's head turned at an unnatural angle a split-second before collapsing onto the ground. He then opened fire on the two Salarians, still recovering from the grenade explosion, as did everyone else. The two quickly fell.

"Fist set me up!" the Quarian snapped as she came out from behind the crate, putting away her pistol. "I KNEW he couldn't be trusted."

Chief walked up to the alien girl. "You alright?"

"I'm fine. I can take care of myself." she said. "Not that I don't appreciate the help." she added. Now that he was up close, the spartan could get a better look at her. She was covered from head to toe in some kind of suit. Her legs were indeed digitigrade and ended in two-toed, talon-like feet. Her hands were also very alien, only having a thumb and two fingers. The most eye-catching feature though was her face, or rather lack there-of. Similar to the Chief's own polarized visor, the Quarian wore a purple visor that obscured her entire face, the only thing that was remotely visible being a pair of glowing, bluish-white orbs which Chief was assuming were her eyes. Finally, she wore various bits of cloth on her suit, including a burqa of some sort on her helmet, almost making her look like a gypsy.

"You the Quarian? The one with evidence that proves Saren Arterius is a traitor?" Chief asked, wanting to cut right to the meat of the situation.

"I am." she answered. She looked around. "But I can't show you the evidence here. It would be best to go somewhere safer I think."

Chief nodded. Saren had hired goons all over the station that had been trying to kill the spartan and his team at every given opportunity. The wards weren't safe right now. He turned to his squad.

"Alright. This Quarian's is now a VIP." Back in the 24th century, 'VIP' was used to denote a civilian whose well-being was mission-critical. "I'm in front of her. Garrus, Wrex, you two have the rear. Ash, Kaidan, you each take a side. We'll take her to Ambassador Udina on the presidium. Let's move."

...

Ambassador Udina's jaw was agape as he read the data pad in front of him. It was a list of casualties as well as the price of all the damages. The council would end up paying most of the damages to the Citadel with the galactic tax payer's credits, but Udina knew that he'd have some explaining to do since everyone knows who was at the center of all this chaos.

Udina squeezed the bridge of his nose, grumbling curses to himself. What were Hackett and Anderson thinking? Waking up a SPARTAN-II from cryo, they might as well have woken up a cave man! At least a cave man would disturb the peace less. Hell, how did Hackett even _talk _Udina into letting this barbarian try out for the spectres? He knew he needed a Human who could get the job done, who could represent the best his species had to offer. But as much as he hated admit it, Saren might've been right. The Chief really WAS a walking WMD. You'd think someone with spec. ops training would have a better grasp of concepts such as 'subtlety' and 'low-key.' Udina had asked for a surgical knife and what he got was a baseball bat.

Captain Anderson stood off to the right of Udina, standing dutifully as he watched the ambassador fume. While he was more of a forgiving sort that Udina, he had to admit that Chief was making quite a mess. He sincerely hoped that it would not be in vain.

Udina heard the door open and immediately recognized the heavy thumping noises that was the footfall of a fully-armored SPARTAN-II.

"You're not making my life easy, Chief." the ambassador began. "Firefights in the wards, high-speed chases in the slums, an all-out assault on Chora's Den..." he turned to the super-soldier. "Do you have ANY idea how many-" he interrupted himself when he noticed the three non-Humans in his office.

"Aliens?" Udina asked with a raised eyebrow. "Chief, what is this?"

"Evidence, ambassador." the spartan promptly answered. He turned to the Quarian and nodded at her. She nodded back and stepped forward.

"I have evidence proving that Saren Arterius is conspiring with the Geth against the Human Alliance." she stated.

Both Udina and Anderson widened their eyes in surprise. "Do you now?" Udina asked. "Where did you get it?"

The Quarian then activated her omni-tool and started pressing some buttons. "While I was on my pilgrimage, I heard reports that Geth were spotted beyond the Perseus Veil. I got curious, so I tracked a patrol of Geth to an uncharted planet. I waited for one to become separated from its unit. Then I disabled it and retrieved its memory core."

"I thought Geth erased memory cores after they were destroyed. As a fail-safe mechanism." Anderson stated.

"They do. But I know my way around tech, especially Geth...for obvious reasons." she said. Chief briefly wondered what those reasons were. "If you're quick, careful, and lucky, small caches of data can be saved." she tapped a few more buttons. "Alright. Here it is."

"Loyal followers!" came a voice. "Assemble!"

"That's Saren's voice!" Anderson exclaimed.

"The Humans have recently dug up an artifact of great importance on Eden Prime." Saren continued. "A working Prothean beacon!"

"This will be your most important mission yet!" boomed a second voice, one that was female.

"Whose she?" Udina asked. "Who's that voice?"

"I'm not sure. There's more." the Quarian said.

"This beacon shall bring us one step closer to the conduit...and to the return of the Reapers!"

Reapers...Master Chief couldn't put his finger on it, but he could've sworn he heard that somewhere before.

"This crusade shall not be an easy one." Saren resumed. "But fear not! For I shall lead this mission personally! We will go to Eden Prime, secure the beacon for ourselves and kill any organic who gets in our way!" a pause. Then: "The attack plans will be downloaded to all of your memory cores momentarily. You will be expected to follow them. Do not fail me. Do NOT fail the Reapers..."

Chief crossed his arms in contemplation. Saren's ramblings reminded him a little too much of the Prophet of Truth for his liking. "Is that all you could salvage?" he asked.

"That's all I could salvage from the audio banks." the alien said as she pressed a few more buttons. "But I also retrieved that attack plan Saren mentioned." With that, a map of some sort materialized out of her omni-tool...a map of the Eden Prime colony, to be specific. Insertion points, attack patterns, timed maneuvers, clearly marked primary and secondary objectives; there was no doubt in anyone's mind. It was a battle plan on the invasion of Eden Prime.

"This is it! This is the evidence we've been looking for!" Anderson triumphantly proclaimed. "This proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Saren is a traitor!"

"That other voice." Chief said. "She said the beacon will bring them closer to the conduit and the reapers. What did she mean?"

"I don't know." Anderson confessed. "That beacon was part of an ancient information network. It probably had information on the conduit. It could be an advanced piece of Prothean technology." He paused as a horrifying thought overtook him. "...Like a weapon."

"Great. A super-weapon that has the potential to wipe out the entire Human race left over from an ancient space-faring civilization that mysteriously disappeared." Cortana observed. "Once again; the more things change, the more they stay the same."

"What about the Reapers?" Chief asked.

"According to the memory core, the Reapers were an ancient, hyper-advanced machine race revered by the Geth as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life." the Quarian explained. "It was they who wiped out the Protheans fifty-thousand years ago. And once they did, they mysteriously vanished." she paused. "At least, that's what the Geth believe. Apparently, they think Saren is some kind of prophet or messiah who could bring back the Reapers. And that the conduit will help in that task."

That's when it all came back to the Chief.

_There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering._

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_Minds being tormented._

_Blood splattering on the ground._

_Screeching of the damned._

_And eyes that spoke eons of malice._

_Reapers..._

"Sir." Chief said as he walked up to Captain Anderson. "I think I just figured out that vision I had."

"You did?" Anderson asked.

"It's still a little unclear." Chief said. "But I know I saw people being slaughtered by some kind of non-organic life form. It's possible that I might've seen the Protheans being wiped out by these...Reapers."

Anderson turned to Udina. "We need to present this evidence to the council right away."

"Permission to speak freely sir?" Chief asked.

"Granted." Anderson replied.

"I think we should leave my vision out of the official testimony. It could compromise credibility." the spartan said. "To be entirely honest, I barely believe it myself."

"That doesn't matter." Anderson snapped. "Whether they believe in the Reapers or not, they have to believe, at the very least, that Saren is a traitor and a threat to Citadel space!"

"I'll arrange another meeting with the Council. Hopefully once I let it slip that we have additional evidence against Saren, they'll want to humor us at the very least." Udina said bitterly as he began typing away on his computer. He waited a few minutes. Then a beeping noise brought a smile to his face. "Well that got their attention. Apparently, they want to see us ASAP."

"I'll send you a copy of the evidence." The Quarian said as she tapped away on her omni-tool. Udina's own omni-tool lit up, and he nodded a gruff thanks to the suited alien.

"So what do we do with the Quarian now?" Garrus asked.

The Quarian turned to the officer and narrowed her eyes at him. "My NAME is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." she bitterly spat.

"She can be held in protective custody by C-sec or the Alliance. At least until Saren stops sending thugs to try and kill her." Chief suggested.

Udina tapped a few buttons on his omni-tool. "Done. Alliance marines will be here momentarily. They'll take the Quarian into protective custody."

Chief nodded at the ambassador and then turned to Ashley and Kaidan. "Let's go."

With that, the spartan and two marines followed the captain and the ambassador out of the office, leaving the three non-humans behind. The Quarian will be taken into protective custody by the Alliance, and possibly be questioned further by ONI. As for Garrus and Wrex, they knew the way out. However, the group was quickly joined by the Turian. "Mind if I tag along?" Garrus asked. "I want to see the look on Saren's face once we present the evidence."

"If you wish." Udina said. With that, Garrus did the Turian equivalent of a smile and started tapping away on his omni-tool as he walked with the Humans. Chief kept an eye on Garrus. He wasn't too sure if he liked the way the alien gleefully tapped away on his omni-tool.

Still, he was willing to agree with the alien on one thing; the look on Saren's face once he found out the jig was up would be nothing less than priceless.

...

**Don't worry. Wrex and Tali ARE going to join the squad. I just decided to put a new spin on the manner in which they are recruited ;)**

**And sorry if this chapter seems shorter than most. Next week's chapter will be pretty long to make up for it. Promise**


	9. Blue Team!  Assemble!

**Ha-ha! I did it! I updated in only week and...what was that?...You mean it's actually almost been two weeks?...Dammit...**

**Okay, did I say weekly? I meant bi-weekly. Yeah. Bi-weekly. Once every two weeks. I can do that. That's often enough for you guys, right?**

**Okay, let's do this.**

...

0057 Hours, February 25th, 2683

Citadel Tower

Citadel

Widow System, Serpent Nebula

...

"The attack plans will be downloaded to all of your memory cores momentarily." Saren's voice echoed throughout the council chambers. "You will be expected to follow them. Do not fail me. Do NOT fail the Reapers..."

"You wanted proof?" Udina smugly asked. "There it is."

Unfortunately for both Chief and Garrus, Saren's holographic image wasn't present at this meeting. Apparently, Saren got word that his men failed to kill the Quarian so, knowing the jig was up, he was already on the run. It was a bittersweet moment for Chief. It felt good to have an enemy of Humanity on the run, but Saren already had a good head start.

What was priceless, however, was the look on the councilors' faces. Saren was one of their most decorated agents, their favorite pet if you will. They were quick to dismiss any allegations against him, but now that unmistakable evidence was presented to them, the shock on their faces was clear to see.

"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador." Councilor Sparatus said, breaking the silence. "Saren WILL be stripped of his spectre status and ALL efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes!" he ranted. Sparatus was, clearly, not happy with Saren's betrayal at all. Between his and Garrus's reactions, Chief guessed that being a traitor was one of the worst things you can possibly be in Turian society.

"I recognize the other voice." Tevos interjected. "The one who also apparently spoke before the Geth. Matriarch Benezia."

"Benezia?" Sparatus asked. "Oh dear. This isn't good."

"Something we should know, councilors?" Chief asked.

"Matriarchs are powerful Asari who are revered for their wisdom and experience." Tevos explained. "They serve as guides and mentors to my people. Benezia is a particularly influential matriarch with many followers and possesses powerful biotics. She will make a formidable ally for Saren."

"I'm more interested in the Reapers." Valern said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "What do we know about them?"

"Only what was extracted from the Geth's memory core." Anderson replied. "The Reapers were an ancient race of sentient machines that wiped out the Protheans fifty thousand years ago, and then vanished. The Geth revere the Reapers as gods and believe Saren to be a prophet heralding their return. Apparently, the conduit is the key to bringing them back."

"Allegedly." Udina was quick to add. "At this time, we don't have evidence confirming or denying the Reapers' existence."

"Do we even know what this conduit is?" Valern pressed.

"No." Chief replied. "But if Saren wants it, we have to assume the worst."

"The worst? And what would THAT be? That these 'Reapers' will return? That they'll do to us what they did to the Protheans?" Sparatus grilled the spartan.

Valern thought a moment longer, then shook his head. "The Reapers are obviously a myth." The Salarian Councillor concluded. "A legend invented by Saren to bend the Geth to his will."

"Most likely, yes." Chief said with a nod. "But regardless of whether or not the Reapers are real, Saren has betrayed you to put together an army of Geth to find this conduit. Whatever the conduit _really _does, it can't be good."

"Say, is it just me, or are you chattier than usual?" Cortana asked.

Chief noticed this too, as did his sore throat which was currently in protest, not used to this much talking at once. He attributed this to his current circumstances; if you suddenly found yourself well over a century in the future, you'd have a lot to say too.

"Saren is now a rogue agent on the run for his life." Sparatus dismissed. "He no longer has the rights or resources of a spectre. The council has stripped him of his position."

"That is not good enough!" Udina suddenly shouted. "You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse! Send your fleet in!"

"A fleet cannot track down one man." Valern said.

Udina breathed a bit, trying to calm himself. "A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region. Keep the Geth from attacking any more of our colonies."

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems." Sparatus argued. "We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen Human colonies."

Chief glared daggers at Sparatus, not appreciating his dismissal of the lives of countless Human colonists.

"You know what, Chief?" Cortana interjected. "The council has a problem. They want to bring in Saren, but they can't send in a fleet because they don't want to start a galactic war. Now let's see. If only there was _someone _who had spec. ops training for infiltrating enemy lines, can carry out orders, and maybe, just maybe, is so rediculously powerful that they're an army in and of themselves. I think we had a word for soldiers like that back in our time. Ooooh! But I can't put my finger on it!"

Chief grimaced. Cortana could be _really _annoying when she wanted to be. However, he got the gist of what she was suggesting. This was an opportunity, and he wasn't going to pass on it.

"Send me after Saren." Chief said aloud.

Tevos looked at the spartan. After thinking it over for a second, she smiled. "Perhaps we should." she said as she rubbed her chin in thought. "There is a way to apprehend Saren that doesn't require fleets or armies..."

"No!" Sparatus barked, also catching on to what Chief was suggesting, but was nowhere near as approving. "It's too soon! Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the spectres!"

"If I may make my case, Councilors?" Chief asked.

"You may." Tevos said with a nod. Sparatus scowled at the spartan while Valern seemed relatively neutral.

"Here are the facts; I have hundreds, if not thousands, of kills to my name in the Human-Covenant War, carrying out special operations to eliminate key targets and secure key objectives, and I was doing it consistently for the entirety of that war. I have won every medal a Human soldier can possibly earn except for the Prisoner of War Medallion. I saved the colony on Eden Prime and I proved Saren a traitor. And on top of all of that, I am currently the fastest, strongest, toughest Human alive in the entire galaxy."

He paused. "If there is one and only one Human who is capable of taking on this title and everything that comes with it...chances are it's me."

Tevos turned to Valern with a smile, who nodded his head in approval. She then turned to Sparatus with the same smile. Sparatus sighed and nodded as well, more out of defeat than anything else. Once again; priceless. Tevos looked to the Chief.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Step forward." she said. Chief took a few long steps forward toward the end of the stand, and stood rigid and at attention.

Chief then took a look around. In the balconies above, spectators flocked to see what was going on. Turians, Asari, Salarians, Humans, Sangheili, virtually every species that had an embassy on the Citadel, both uncomfortably familiar old faces and uncertain new ones, gathered to see what was about to take place.

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." Tevos said.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen." Valern said next. "Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."

"Spectres are an ideal. A symbol." Tevos resumed. "The embodiment of courage, determination and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council; instruments of our will."

"Spectres bear a great burden." Sparatus said. "They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the first Human Spectre, Chief." Tevos told the spartan. "This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."

Chief nodded at Tevos. He knew that making spectre was the easy part. The hard part will be doing a good job at it. He then heard something that he hadn't heard in a long time; applause.

He looked around. Every one of the spectators was applauding the new spectre. He saw Turians and Salarians nod their approval. He saw Sangheili and Mgalekgolo salute him with respect. The Unggoy were bouncing up and down, shaking their arms around while babbling out congratulations. The Humans were, unsurprisingly, the most enthusiastic, as they clapped and cheered for one of their own for making it this far.

Chief nodded his thanks to the crowd, even the aliens. He turned to the Council...who were now his new bosses, he realized. "I'm ready for my first mission, Councilors."

"We're sending you into the Attican Traverse after Former-Spectre Saren Arterius." Valern replied in a formal tone as the applause died down. "He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend, or failing that, eliminate him."

"Where is he now?" Chief asked.

"We do not know." Tevos confessed. "In our last meeting, he contacted us from an untraceable location, but we know he is somewhere in the traverse."

"We will forward any relevant information to Ambassador Udina." Sparatus said.

"This meeting of the Council is adjourned." Tevos stated. With that, the councilors walked away as Chief, Anderson and Udina rejoined Ashley, Kaidan and Garrus who had been looking on from the sidelines. The crowd had disbanded, the exciting part being over, and went back to their business.

"Congratulations, Master Chief." Anderson said as he shook the spartan's hand. "I knew we could count on you."

"We've got a lot of work to do, Chief." Udina said. "You'll need a ship, weapons, supplies..."

"Now that you have spectre privileges, you have access to special weapons and equipment." Anderson said. "We'll send you a list of recommended shops that sell all the supplies you'll need."

"If I may make a request, sir?" Chief asked.

"You may." Anderson said.

"I'd like for Kaidan Alenko and Ashley Williams to be transferred to whatever ship I end up on." Chief said. The two marines turned to the spartan, shocked. "They're both good at what they do. Kaidan has good leadership experience and will make a good second-in-command, and Ashley is a versatile combatant. Her skills will be very useful in a fight."

Anderson smiled warmly. "They're all yours, Chief." The spartan nodded his thanks. He didn't ordinarily find himself making such requests, but Chief knew that, even though he was a spartan, the best warrior Humanity had ever created, he couldn't do this alone. He'd need a combat team. Kaidan Alenko and Ashley Williams looked to be good choices, for the reasons Chief told Anderson. Besides, now that he was a spectre, he felt he could get away with respectful requests.

"I want to come too." Garrus suddenly interjected. The spartan turned towards the Turian, his visor concealing his surprise.

"You want to join me?" he asked. He heard Garrus perfectly, but he couldn't help but confirm.

"I'm tired of being in C-sec, being bound by so much red tape." Garrus explained. "I want to see how spectres really operate, free of all those rules and regulations."

"What about your posting at C-sec?" Ashley asked.

"I wrote up and sent my resignation letter on the way here." Garrus replied. That explains what he was doing on his omni-tool on the way up here, and why he was so giddy about it. He was finally doing what all disgruntled employees dream of one day doing; quitting his crappy job.

Chief turned to Anderson. "Am I even allowed to have a non-Human with me?" he asked.

"You're a spectre now Chief. You're no longer officially part of the Alliance chain of command. You can do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission." Anderson answered. "If you feel this Turian could be useful in your manhunt for Saren, you're more than welcome to take him or any other non-human you come across."

Chief turned back to the Turian C-sec...FORMER C-sec officer, who stood proud and rigid with his head held high, as though awaiting approval by a drill instructor.

The part of his mind that still saw aliens as enemies was practically screaming to refuse Garrus's offer...but Chief was actually considering it. He saw Garrus fight back in Chora's Den and in the alley. He was disciplined and precise, indicating that he was in the military at some point in his life, so he had adequate combat expererience. Additionally, he was actually a pretty good shot. He was a bit of a loose cannon though, but after pointing out that his shot in the clinic was too close for comfort, he was quickly cowed into a babbling half-explanation, half-apology, so keeping him in line wouldn't be too difficult.

He didn't necessarily want to, but when the Arbiter and the rest of the elites offered their aid in the closing days of the Human-Covenant war, Chief wasn't stubborn or stupid enough to refuse help when it was offered, especially when it was so desperately needed. And that wasn't going to change now.

Chief held out a hand. "Welcome aboard." Chief said.

"Thanks, Chief!" Garrus joyfully declared as he shook Chief's hand. "I guarantee, I won't let you down."

Chief leaned forward a little. "I know you won't." he said.

The spartan could hear Garrus gulp in a suddenly-dry throat. Good. He already knew who was in charge.

"Come with me, Anderson." Udina said. "I'll need your help to set everything up." The ambassador then walked away. Anderson nodded to the Chief before following.

"Typical. Didn't even thank us." Ashley said.

"So what comes next?" Garrus asked.

"It'll be a while before we get transferred to a ship that'll carry us." Chief replied. "In the meantime, we'll stock up on weapons, ammunition, rations, everything we'll need to wage a war on a rogue spectre and his army of Geth."

The spartan rubbed his neck. "But first, we're going to find me a glass of water. All this talking is murder on my throat."

...

The four rode the elevator down from the citadel tower to the presidium below, listening to a news report about how a Human tourist corporation was promoting a cruise through the Forerunner Cluster called "_Secrets of the Forerunners_," a vacation cruise that will take its clients throughout the Forerunner Cluster to visit various planets that host ruins of the mysterious and long-dead race.

When they finally reached the presidium floor, they emerged to find, surprisingly, the Krogan bounty hunter Urdnot Wrex waiting for them. Many passers-by stared at the Krogan as they went, clearly not used to seeing his kind on the presidium ring.

"So, how'd it go?" Wrex asked the spartan.

Chief was taken aback by the merc's curiosity. "Well. Saren was branded a traitor."

"Chief was made spectre." Garrus added. "The council has tasked him with tracking Saren down and then taking him down." Chief looked to the Turian. He made a note to have a chat with him about the importance of a 'need-to-know' basis.

Wrex smiled ear-to-ear. "Good. When do we leave?"

Chief was taken even more aback. "We?" he asked.

"I plan on coming on coming with you." the merc stated.

Chief paused. "Sorry. I haven't received word on what my budget would be so I'm afraid I can't hire you at this time." he said.

"You don't have to pay me a single credit." Wrex said. "I'll join you free of charge."

Chief was taken even _more _aback. "What kind of merc fights for free?" he asked, suspicion clear in his tone.

"The kind who doesn't just fight for credits." Wrex answered simply. "I can tell. There's a storm coming and from the looks of things, you and Saren are going to be right in the middle of it. I wanna be where the action is."

Interesting. A mercenary who fought more for the sake of fighting than for the money. The spartan weighed the pros and cons of recruiting Wrex, a thought process that, for a SPARTAN-II, takes about three or four seconds. Spartans were naturally quick thinkers.

On the one hand, Wrex was certainly capable in a fight, no question there. In fact, his skills were comparable to those of a SPARTAN-II. He wasn't nowhere near as fast, but he was almost as strong and certainly as durable as the Chief himself was. Throw biotics into the mix, and you have a very powerful ally indeed.

On the other hand, there was the issue of his motivation. Chief was willing to believe that Wrex wasn't joining him for the money; he could see that fire in the Krogan's eye, the same fire any soldier who relishes combat has. But if he's just fighting for the sake of fighting, that presents a possible loyalty issue.

"If you just want to fight, why join me?" Chief asked. "Why not join Saren?"

"Saren's got an army of Geth at his command. From what I've seen, you only have a handful of soldiers on your side." Wrex answered. "If I joined Saren, it would be too easy."

"Well, he's nothing if not forthcoming." Cortana commented. Chief silently agreed. He could usually tell when people were lying to him, and so far, Wrex wasn't doing anything to trigger that particular alarm in the spartan's brain. Chief then decided to let Wrex on board. But not without conditions.

"Few things I need to tell you." Chief said, staring at the Krogan dead in the eye. "First off, I'm in charge. I order you to attack, you attack. I order you to hold your position, you hold your position. I order you to fall back, you fall back. Second; you're part of a team now. No loner stuff. And third; if you do anything at all to deliberately jeopardize the mission, I will kill you."

Ashley, Kaidan and Garrus all looked to Chief like he had gone out of his mind. Wrex however, simply chuckled in amusement. "Something funny?" Chief asked.

"Not many Humans have the quad to threaten a Krogan with death right to his face." Wrex said in a tone that almost sounded like he admired the spartan. "Your terms are fair enough." he said with a nod.

"Good." the spartan stated. He made a note to keep a _very _close eye on the Krogan. It was at that point that Chief noticed his wrist was beeping and his omni-tool activated.

"Looks like Anderson and Udina has sent us that list." Cortana said. "I'll display them on your omni-tool for you."

It was then that a list appeared on the omni-tool's screen. It showed four shops and the various items they sold that would be of use to a spectre. It also showed a budget at the bottom; Chief was given fifty-thousand credits to start.

"I was hoping for a bigger budget than this." Chief noted.

"It's probably from your Alliance." Wrex said. "I've worked with spectres before. They're expected to be self-reliant. They have to pay for their own equipment."

"...That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard." Chief stated.

"I said the exact same thing when I found that out for the first time." Wrex said with a smile.

"Well, where are spectres supposed to get funding from?" Chief asked.

"Lots of ways." Wrex said. "Some invest in one big corporation or another, but most just sell off whatever spare weapons or equipment they find while raiding pirate bases. In fact, a lot of weapon companies rely on spectres to supply products."

Chief just shook his head. Why would the council create a special branch of elite peacekeeping agents if they weren't even willing to fund their missions? Chief was a soldier; not a stock-broker or a salesman. Whatever, he thought. He'd deal with it later. For now, he was already given a sum of credits to start with, so he'd have to make due with that.

"Alright. Let's split up so we can cover more ground." Chief said.

"I've got a supplier on Kithoi Ward 17." Wrex said. "He usually has good stuff."

"I'll go to this 'Morlan' guy. See what he's got." Ashley volunteered.

"Alright." Chief said. He turned to Garrus and Kaidan. "You two go to this 'Expat.' He has some mods we can use."

"Dr. Michel's clinic is close to that location. She might be worth visiting too." Kaidan suggested. "She's probably got some medical supplies we can use."

Chief nodded his approval of the LT's idea. "I'll go to this 'Presidium Emporium.' Once we've all got some useful supplies, we'll meet up at C-Sec Academy. Sound good?" The spartan received nods all around. "Good. Now move out."

...

"So, Cortana. Think you can handle the mission's finances? You're obviously a lot better at numbers than I am." Chief said as he walked past the mass relay monument towards the emporium. His speakers were off so he could keep his conversation private.

"Hey, I'm a state-of-the-art UNSC Smart AI. Not an accountant program!" Cortana snapped, apparently insulted that Chief would suggest such a misuse of her talents.

"Okay." Chief replied nonchalantly.

"...Fine." Cortana said with a sigh. Chief smiled. He knew how to trick her into doing what he wanted.

Chief finally arrived at the shop. He took a look around to see all the various aliens who were all at stands and kiosks, looking through the shop's inventory. Chief was approached by what was, by far, the oddest-looking new alien Chief had encountered yet. It was pink and stood on six long, tentacle-like legs. Its 'head' if you could call it that, glowed whenever it spoke. And to top it all off, it looked like it was made of jelly.

"Hello. This one welcomes you. How may it be of service?" the odd, jellyfish-like alien asked.

"Just...looking around." the spartan replied.

"Of course." the alien replied in a polite tone. "However, if there is anything this one can do to help you, you need only ask." With that, the alien delicately and slowly walked away on the tip-toes of its tentacles.

The Presidium Emporium was a software store for the most part. It sold a vast variety of programs; one for doing business with other species, another for predicting rises and falls in the galactic stock market, and another for calculating spreadsheets. It was hardly a store a spartan would want to shop in, which made Chief wonder why this store made the list.

"Chief, look to your left." Cortana suddenly said out of the blue. Chief paused, unsure of what was going on. "Just do it." she demanded. Chief turned in the desired direction, half-expecting to see more of Saren's thugs. Instead, he saw nothing.

"I don't see anything." Chief said.

"For the love of..." Cortana said. She interacted with the spartan's HUD and highlighted an ad that holographically floated over a kiosk.

_New! The Galactic Codex 7.7-49! The newest, most up-to-date version of what critics call the most complete encyclopedia in Galactic History!_

"I want that." Cortana said. "All that information will really give us the insight into this century that we so desperately need."

Chief sighed. Information. New data. It was like candy to a UNSC smart AI. "Look, that codex doesn't have anything we can't get from the extranet for free."

"Chief...you're talking about the _extranet._" Cortana pointed. "Do you have ANY idea how much raw stupidity I had to filter through in order find any relevant information on what I was looking for?"

Chief still wasn't sure. "_Pleeeeeeeeeaaaase?_" Cortana asked. The spartan couldn't help but imagine the AI with sad puppy eyes.

With a sigh of defeat, Chief grabbed the codex data-disc and had the jellyfish alien ring it up. Cortana knew how to trick Chief into doing what she wanted.

Now that the spartan thought about it, perhaps the codex was why this store made the list. Anderson and Udina knew Chief still knew little about the galaxy, so recommending a store that sold electronic encyclopedias would further help bring the spartan up to speed.

Chief sighed. Great. Homework.

He deposited the disc-case in his belt while he looked around for a rapid transit terminal. It was then that Cortana chimed in.

"Getting a message from Captain Anderson. Sounds urgent." Cortana said. "Patching it through."

"Chief. It's Anderson. Do you read?" Anderson's voice came over the COM channel.

"I read you, Captain. What's the problem?" Chief asked.

"It's the Quarian." Anderson said. "She was still in the embassy when we left, but when Alliance marines came to pick her up, they said she was gone."

"Do you think she's a security risk?" Chief asked.

"Possibly. And it's also possible that Saren still wants her dead. We've got Alliance personnel combing the presidium for her and C-Sec has already issued a warrant for her retrieval. Keep an eye out while you're gathering supplies."

"Yes sir." Chief said.

"Anderson out." Anderson said before clicking off. Chief paused. Where could the Quarian have gone? Did Saren's goons get her already? Chief continued to look around for a rapid transit terminal, thinking she would be easier to spot by air. He hadn't seen any other Quarians on the presidium for some reason, so hopefully she'll stick out.

"Pardon me! Excuse me!" cried a voice as it shoved its way through the crowd.

"Accursed Quarians..." Chief heard somebody mutter in the distance. He turned and saw, to his surprise, the Quarian he had rescued earlier rush up to him. She stopped in front of him and panted.

"There you are." she said. "I thought you'd still be by the tower. You move quick."

"You're supposed to be at the Human embassy, waiting for marines to pick you up." Chief said, not happy with this alien possibly posing a security risk. "What are you doing here?"

"I wasn't going to let anyone take me away." she said resolutely. "I caught the Turian and that other Human before they left for the wards. They told me to talk to you."

"About what?" Chief asked.

The Quarian then stood as rigidly as she could. "Master Chief...that...that is your name right?" The spartan nodded. "I heard you made spectre and you're being tasked with Saren's arrest. I wish to join you."

Chief raised his eyebrow at this. "Weren't you busy with your..." Chief trailed off, not remembering the word the Quarian used.

"Pilgrimage." she finished for him.

"Yeah that. I thought you were busy with that." Chief said.

"The pilgrimage is a rite of passage for my people that proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good." she said. "Judging from that vision you had, Saren is a threat to the entire galaxy. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this?"

"How do you know my vision's for real?" Chief asked. "How do you know I'm not crazy?"

"I don't." she replied. "Just call it a feeling."

Chief observed the suited alien from head to toe. There was no doubt about her motivations. Once again, Chief didn't think he was being lied to. This Quarian genuinely wanted to help. But what Chief did doubt were her skills.

"What kind of combat training do you have?" Chief asked.

"Before I left the Flotilla, I was taught some basic self-defense techniques." she replied.

"But no real military training?" he asked.

"Er...no." she hesitantly answered.

Chief scowled. He was willing to bring along Garrus and Wrex because, from what he had seen in Chora's Den, they were both very much capable in a fight. The spartan could find use in their skill-sets. This Quarian on the other hand, was a civvie. Granted, she managed to throw a grenade to disorient her would-be assassins and managed to take cover before drawing her weapon. She handled the situation better than most civvies would. In fact, she actually had potential to be a competent soldier...but that was it. Potential. As in it was untapped and it would take time for her to live up to it; time Chief didn't feel like spending.

"Pass." Chief said.

The Quarian seemed taken aback. "Pardon?" she asked.

"I'm not interested in having you join." Chief said.

"But you let the Turian and the Krogan join!" the Quarian exclaimed.

"They're professionally-trained fighters. You're just a civvie." Chief pointed out.

The Quarian balled her fists at the spartan. Then, she thrust her hand forward. "Give me your pistol." she demanded.

"Why?" Chief asked. He didn't think the Quarian was a threat, but he didn't like the idea of handing over his gun.

"I might not be good with guns, but I'm good with tech and my own two hands." she explained. "I guarantee, I can disassemble and reassemble that gun faster than any Human."

Chief looked at her. "Alright. You're on." he said before handing his pistol over. He activated his omni-tool, Cortana activating a stopwatch program for him. "Go."

The Quarian worked feverishly, taking out every screw, every bolt with lightning speed. She pulled out tools from pockets the spartan never even knew she had. Within seconds, the pistol's pieces was in each of her pockets then, remembering which pocket held which part, she reassembled the pistol. And then, it was done. She handed it to the Chief. He aimed it at a tree.

*BANG!*

The pistol fired flawlessly. In fact, it was a little better than before. He looked at the clock. 40.8 seconds. Not even Chief could disassemble and reassemble this pistol that fast. And he had two more fingers on each hand than the Quarian did. Chief looked at down at his pistol, then back up to the suited alien. "How did you do that?" he asked, honestly amazed.

"I'm Quarian." she said, smugness clear in her voice. "Give me a circuit board, a chunk of metal, and some element zero, and I'll have it doing mass relay jumps."

It was then that her skill set became apparent. She was hardly a soldier, but she was a very good mechanic.

"What did you say your name was?" Chief asked.

The Quarian held up her head and puffed out her chest. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." she proudly proclaimed.

"...Got a nickname?" Chief asked. He wasn't even going to try to pronounce that whole thing right.

"You can just call me Tali. Most of my friends do." she replied.

Tali. Four letters, two syllables. Easy enough to remember. "Alright Tali. You're on board."

"Thanks. I promise you won't regret this." Tali said with a nod.

"Let's go." Chief said as he made his way down the presidium.

"To where?" Tali asked.

"C-Sec Academy. We'll rendezvous with the rest of the squad there." the spartan answered.

The spartan and the Quarian came upon a rapid transit terminal and used it to summon a public aircar. As it took them to their destination, Chief contacted Anderson to inform him that Tali was safe with him, and that she'd be joining him. While in service to a spartan is hardly the safest position to be in, he'd be able to keep an eye on her so the risk to security she posed was significantly reduced.

Chief continued on the route to C-Sec Academy with yet another new alien companion joining him. He began to think that perhaps the universe was trying just a little too hard to jam the 'aliens are our friends' message down his throat.

...

"Ah, welcome to Morlan's Famous Shop! You find many good things, yes?" The Salarian asked the marine.

"I read you've got some weapon mods?" Ashley asked.

"Oh yes. The best in these wards!" Morlan enthusiastically replied. "You will be pleased, I think. Many good weapon mods I have!"

"Just show them to me." Ashley said. She didn't like this guy. He came off as a classic snake-oil salesman; the kind of guy who'd sell his own mother if it was legal.

He did end up having some pretty good stuff though. Incendiary rounds, chemical rounds and cryo rounds. Ashley bought the cryo rounds, as they would definitely have some stopping power; a Geth wouldn't march far if its joints were frozen. She passed on the chemical and incendiary rounds, though. She doubted that fire and chemicals would be much help against them.

"Thank you! Come again!" Morlan said. "Oh, before you go, can I interest you in some Asari pheremones? It'll make the males of your species wild about you! Or the females. I don't judge."

"...Thanks, but no thanks." Ashley said as she walked away. "Freak..." she muttered.

...

Garrus and Kaidan's aircar landed on Kithoi Ward level 21, where the markets resided. Kaidan turned to Garrus. "You take the med clinic. Dr. Michel might give you a discount out of gratitude for saving her life. I'll go check out this 'Expat' guy."

"If you're feeling lucky, maybe we should hit the casino in Flux." Garrus said.

"Flux?" Kaidan asked.

"New nightclub that opened up. Not far from here." The Turian answered.

The marine shook his head. "Probably better if we didn't. The Alliance gave us this budget in good faith." he smiled. "Plus Master Chief would take your head off if he found out you were gambling with funds."

Garrus chuckled a bit. "Yeah, you're probably right." He paused. "Chief...doesn't really trust me, does he?"

"I don't think so." Kaidan said. "But keep in mind, he comes from a time where every alien he met was actively trying to wipe out Humanity. Easy to understand why he doesn't trust non-Humans." He smiled reassuringly. "Just give him some time. He'll start to trust you eventually."

"I hope so." Garrus replied. "From what I hear, he's essentially a Human version of Reckis."

Kaidan raised an eyebrow. "What's a Reckis?"

"Old Turian war hero from the Krogan Rebellions. When the Krogan attempted a counter-attack on a Turian colony, Reckis managed to hold all of them back practically single-handed until reinforcements could arrive. He won a whole bunch of medals that day." he explained.

Kaidan nodded. "Sounds like Chief and Reckis would get along if Reckis was still alive."

"More likely they'd try to kill each other." Garrus said with a chuckle. "Makes me glad that Reckis eventually died in his sleep rather than be frozen. If he was ever awoken and had a duel with the Chief, they'd probably end up killing everyone in the entire galaxy."

Kaidan chuckled at that. "Okay. Enough chatter. You go get those medical supplies, and I'll see what kind of armor mods Expat has."

"Will do." Garrus said with a nod. The two then parted, Garrus heading for the clinic while Kaidan went to see Expat. The biotic had to navigate through the crowds and other shopkeepers hollering for his attention. He didn't really like it. Too much noise, too many people, neither were good for a head prone to migraines. Kaidan was now looking forward to getting back on a ship, where it'll hopefully be a little bit quieter.

He eventually found Expat, who turned out to be a Volus. "Ah, hello Earth-Clan." he greeted warmly. "Needing supplies before heading back to the colonies?"

"Actually, I'm with a spectre." Kaidan said with a small hint of pride. "He chose me to serve on a mission and has assigned me the duty of gathering supplies."

"Ah. My mistake." Expat said before taking a breath. "These markets are very popular amongst colonists. *breath* So what can I do for you?"

"Show me your armor mods." Kaidan said.

Expat had some pretty good stuff. He bought a couple of kinetic buffer systems to not only monitor the wearer's vital systems, but also release genetically engineered stimulants to maximize combat prowess and athletic ability. He bought a set for Ashley, Garrus, and himself. They'd need it if they wanted to keep up with the Master Chief in a fight. He also bought some packets of ablative coating and shock absorbers; when Geth hit, they hit hard. Kaidan knew that the team would have to able to take punishment as well as it can dish it out. He was tempted by the shield battery, which would give them more potent kinetic barriers, but decided against it. For now at least, their budget was only so big. The marine gave the Volus his thanks before leaving. He found Garrus waiting for him by a public aircar, holding a case of some sort.

"You found anything good?" Kaidan asked.

"Upgrades for our first aid interface." Garrus replied. "You?"

"I managed to find some pretty good armor mods. Between these and the medical supplies you picked up, we should be able to last a lot longer in a fight." Kaidan nodded.

"Alright then. Let's get to C-Sec Academy." Garrus said. "Last thing I want to do is give Chief a reason to kick me off before we even leave the station."

Kaidan nodded and climbed into the aircar with Garrus. The vehicle levitated and took off towards C-Sec Academy.

...

The Kig-Yar was polishing his favorite sniper rifle, a naginata MK-V as he sat behind the desk of his shop. It was a good rifle that served him well on many past missions. Long and light, just the way he liked 'em. He outfitted it with a camera in the scope that fed battlefield info directly to the headpiece he wore. He didn't even need to look down the scope; all he had to do to zoom in on a target was press a button. He had his doubts about the kind of weapons Ariake Technologies could produce; prior to the first contact war, they were merely an electronics concern. But low and behold, they delivered a rather pleasant surprise unto ol' Lek.

It was then that the avian heard a familiar thumping noise. He put the rifle away, knowing that footfall anywhere. "Wrex, my friend." he said as he turned to the Krogan. "So good to see you. Gearing up for another mission, huh?"

"You know it, Lek." Wrex said as he entered the shop and walked up to the jackal. Wrex and Lek were both free-lance mercenaries. About eight years ago, they were both hired to take out a Jiralhenae pirate base that had been causing trouble for an Elcor trading company. Wrex enjoyed fighting brutes. They were just as savage as his own kind were, if not more so, and always made for a good fight. Wrex ended up saving Lek's life during that battle, so when Lek opened up a gun shop on the Citadel to rake in extra credits in between missions, he gave Wrex a lifetime discount. He's been a reliable supplier for Wrex's missions ever since.

"Signed on with a spectre, so I'm heading out on a mission of 'galactic importance.'" the Krogan replied, using finger quotations for the last two words of his sentence.

"I trust he's paying you well?" Lek asked.

"Nope. I'm doing this for free." Wrex said.

Lek chortled a little at that. "Ohoho. It's one of THOSE missions eh?" Lek asked. He knew how Krogan were, and Wrex was no exception. Wrex loved making credits as much as the next merc, but at the end of the day, it was all about the thrill of battle for him.

"We're hunting down that one other spectre, Saren Arterius. He's gone rogue and has an army of Geth at his command. Turns out he was the one who led that attack on Eden Prime." Wrex explained.

"Then you're going to need the big guns." Lek said as he took out several kinds of assault rifles and shotguns. "I recommend armor-piercing, hammerhead and cryo rounds. Heard the Quarians found those to be most effective during the Geth wars." he went on as he took out the ammo-mods in question. He then took out a box of grenades.

"Tech grenades. They don't deliver as much punch as the regular kind, but I'd imagine it would really scramble a Geth's circuits. At the very least, they'll take out their shields and weapons, making for easier prey."

"Got anything new off the black market?" Wrex asked.

"Not much, I'm afraid." Lek confessed. "C-Sec's been riding my ass so I've been trying to clean up my record a little. However, I have managed to smuggle in a few things from Omega, and I think you'll like them."

Lek activated his omni-tool and pressed a few buttons. A minute later, a large mech came from out back, carrying a duffel bag of sorts. The mech placed the bag on the table, then turned around, back towards the store's back room. Wrex unzipped the bag and smiled at what he saw. Type-2 antipersonnel fragmentation grenades. Otherwise known as brute spike grenades.

"One more thing I've been working on." Lek said as he walked over to a shelf to fetch a case. "As you're aware, getting heavy weapons past customs is next to impossible, but I think I might've found a solution to that little problem." Lek opened up the case and showed its contents to Wrex. The Krogan perked an eyebrow.

"I'm not big on sniper rifles." Wrex said as he looked down on the harpoon MK-VII before him. It's true, he didn't like them very much. He preferred to get up close and personal with his targets.

"It only LOOKS like a sniper rifle." Lek said. "In reality, it's been fitted with a very powerful high explosive ammo mod. It's essentially a very accurate bazooka."

"How big a boom we talkin'?" Wrex asked.

"400cm blast radius." Lek said. "You don't have to be a headshot honcho to get a kill with this thing."

Wrex smiled. He closed the case. "How much do I owe ya?"

"Seven thousand." Lek said. "But considering you're doing this mission for free, I'll cut it down to five thousand. You still need to eat."

Wrex chuckled as he wired Lek the money with his omni-tool. Wrex didn't use his omni-tool much, mostly just for cash transfer. The Krogan nodded his thanks to the Kig-Yar and left the store.

As Wrex stomped over to an aircar terminal, various passers-by noted that he was a Krogan with a duffel bag and a gun case of some kind. Correctly guessing what he was up to, they gave him a wide berth.

...

Chief descended down the elevator and arrived once again in the C-Sec lobby, this time with a new Quarian companion in tow. Chief walked up to a Kig-Yar in C-Sec uniform asking where C-Sec Requisitions was. The jackal gave Tali a scrutinizing look before pointing the way to Chief. Chief and Tali headed down a ramp that lead to an office of some kind, at which a lone Turian seemed to be busy on his computer.

"One second. Looking you up." The Turian asked after looking up from his computer to the Chief. "Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117, here with the Alliance military. First time on the Citadel. That about right?"

"How did you know all that?" Chief asked, a little suspicious the Turian knew so much.

"I need to make sure our buyers are authorized." the Turian replied. "So, will you be purchasing anything today, Master Chief?"

"Yes." Chief said. This Turian seemed legit...for now. "I need supplies."

"Alright. Just give me a minute to..." The requisitions officer trailed off. "That's odd. System says to show you our select stocks...spectre." The Turian chuckled a bit as he got up from his seat. "So, the Council finally decided to start adding Humans to the spectre ranks. Congratulations."

"Thanks." Chief replied politely. Though he couldn't shake the feeling that the alien before him was being slightly condescending. The Turian walked over to a wall and placed his talon-like hand on a scanner-lock, which activated a hidden door. Lights came on inside.

"The rare stocks, Master Chief." the Turian said, gesturing inside. "Enjoy."

Chief stepped inside with Tali close behind. Tali was speechless as she beheld the sight before her.

It was a whole armory. Assault rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, pistols, submachine guns, grenades, and even a few heavy weapons. In addition, there were several different kinds of ammo mods, armor mods, and every other kind of mod in between. Tali turned to Chief. "What do we take?" she asked.

"As much as we can carry." Chief answered.

Chief inspected each model, and took the ones he liked best. In addition, he took several different varieties of armor-piercing ammo mods, believing they would be the most effective against Geth. Tali did a little inspecting herself, marveling at the sheer variety of guns there were. She took a look at one shotgun in particular. "This one looks good." she noted.

"Let me take a look." Chief said. The Quarian handed the shotgun to the spartan. He held the gun aloft, aiming it at the wall with one hand. Tali couldn't help but note how he looked just like an action hero from the vids. "Viper MK-III. Hahne-Kedar Shadow Works. Prototype. They probably rely on spectres to test it." He then nodded in approval and handed it back to Tali. "Case it." he said.

"Er, yes sir." Tali replied.

After a few minutes, Chief and Tali came out with several weapon cases. The Turian, a bit put out by how many guns Chief was interested in, told him the bill. Cortana wired the money to the Turian's kiosk and without even waiting on a receipt, Chief left, Tali struggling behind.

_Keelah,_ she thought to herself as she struggled to carry her load, noting that Chief showed little trouble carrying his. _How does he carry all of that?_

They arrived back on the C-Sec landing platform where the other four were waiting. The Quarian's presence didn't get by them.

"What's she doing here?" Kaidan asked. "I thought she was in protective custody of the Alliance."

"Her name's Tali and she volunteered for the mission." Chief explained. "She's a pretty good mechanic and engineer so she could be useful."

"Fair enough." Wrex said with a shrug.

"Incoming transmission." Cortana said to Chief.

"Chief, it's Anderson." the captain's voice came. "We've got a ship for you. Meet us at dock 422."

"Alright. Let's grab an aircar and get to the docks. Our ship is ready." Chief announced aloud.

"We're going to need an air_bus _to carry all this stuff." Ashley said as she followed the spartan. "Sir." she quickly added.

Incidentally, an airbus was available, or rather an airvan. It was bigger than the one that was following Chief earlier that day, so it was big enough to house a SPARTAN-II, a Krogan, four other regular-sized sentients, and all the supplies they had procured.

It still struggled to keep aloft though.

...

After about twenty minutes, the group arrived at the designated dock. Chief couldn't help but notice they were back in the exact docking bay in which the _Normandy _was docked. Chief thought dock 422 sounded familiar. He suspected that they would remain with the _Normandy_, which made Chief question why it took as long as it did to set everything up if he was staying with the same ship. The spartan decided not to think about it for now as the van came around for a landing.

"Captain Anderson, this is Spartan-117." Chief said into his COM channel. "Be advised, we've got supplies that need loading up."

"Roger that Chief. I'll have the _Normandy's _servicemen load everything aboard." Anderson replied, confirming the spartan's assumptions. When the van landed, several of the ship's servicemen saluted the Chief before grabbing the various weapons and other materials. Wrex insisted on holding on to his supplies, for some odd reason. Chief suspected that he got his stuff from less-than-legitimate sources. The spartan walked up to the captain, who was standing with the ambassador, and saluted.

"At ease." Anderson said with a nod.

"I take it I'll be staying on the _Normandy, _sir?" Chief asked.

Anderson nodded. "She's quick and quiet, and you know the crew. Perfect ship for a spectre."

Chief nodded his approval. "I take it we'll be leaving soon?"

Anderson looked to Udina, as though unsure about something. He turned back to the spartan. "There's...no 'we' this time, I'm afraid."

"Captain Anderson is stepping down as commanding officer of the _Normandy._" Udina elaborated.

Chief was taken aback by this. Did Anderson do something wrong? Was he taking the fall for what happened on Eden Prime so that Chief could become a spectre?

"Why?" Chief asked.

"It's just time for me step down." Anderson said. Chief knew that wasn't the whole story, but decided to let it go for now. At the moment, there was an even bigger question hanging over the spartan's head.

"If Captain Anderson won't be the commanding officer of the _Normandy, _then who will?" he asked.

The next answer threw him for a loop.

"You will, Chief." Udina said.

Chief was honestly shocked. He turned around to find his five companions regarding him. Apparently, they just overheard that little detail.

"Uh...congratulations Chief. Er, Captain." Ashley stammered.

"Chief." the spartan corrected. "Is everything loaded up?"

"They just took the last weapons case." Kaidan said.

"Good. Everyone, on the ship. Now." he said, nodding to the ship. With that, the biotic, the marine, the former c-sec officer, the mercenary and the engineer all made their way down the ship's loading bay and into the airlock. Chief turned back to Udina.

"Ambassador, I can't accept this position." Chief said as he shook his head.

"You're a capable leader, Chief. You've lead several successful missions against the Covenant back in your time, did you not?" Udina asked with a perked up eyebrow.

"With all due respect Ambassador, leading a team of SPARTAN-II's and commanding a ship are two very different things." Chief pointed out.

"You're a spectre now, Chief. An independent agent of the council" Anderson said. "Spectres need to command their own ships, command their own missions, and command authority in general. You don't have to answer to me anymore, or anyone else in the Alliance chain of command for that matter. You only have to answer to the Council and to yourself. Besides, you received basic education on ship tactics during basic training. Apply that knowledge and you'll do fine."

Chief sighed and nodded. "Any leads on Saren's current location?" he asked, ready to move on to his mission.

"Saren's gone. Don't even try to find him. But we know what he's after." Anderson said.

"The Conduit." Chief said. At best, it was an ancient Prothean super-weapon that Saren plans on using against Humanity. At worst, it was the key to bringing back an ancient race of sentient machines to wipe out every sentient being in the galaxy. Either way, it had to be kept out of Saren's hands.

"Right." Anderson said with a nod. "Saren's gone below the radar for the time being. No further reports of Geth activity as of yet. He probably knows the jig is up by now, so he'll be more careful from here on out. No doubt though that he's got his Geth scouring the traverse for the Conduit as we speak, keeping his movements hidden. For now, we'll have to focus on finding the Conduit before he does."

"Which brings us to our first...and so far, only lead." Udina took over. "Matriarch Benezia, that other voice on the recording? She has a daughter, a scientist and archaeologist who specializes in the Protheans. We don't know if she's involved, but it might be a good idea to try and find her. See what she knows."

"She could have insight into Saren's plans. Or maybe she might know what the Conduit is, what it does, and where we can find it. Hopefully, all of the above." Anderson added.

"Her name is Dr. Liara T'soni." Udina resumed. "She was last seen leading an archaeological expedition on Therum in the Artemis Tau Cluster, under commission from the Sangheili Empire."

"Sangheili...you mean elites." Chief said, suddenly uncomfortable with the idea of going to an elite-held planet.

"Correct. So don't do anything that would give the Sangheili ambassador a reason to send me angry letters while you're on Therum. Now that you're a spectre, your actions reflect on Humanity as a whole. _You _make a mess, and _I _get stuck cleaning it up." Udina warned.

"I'm aware that the elites are now officially allies of Humanity. I'll be on my best behavior during my stay on Therum." Chief assured.

"Good." Udina said with a nod. "And remember; you were a Human long before you became a spectre." he checked the watch on his omni-tool. "I have a meeting to get to. Captain Anderson can answer any more questions you might have." And with that, the ambassador walked away towards the elevator.

"Is there anything else you need to know, Chief?" Anderson asked.

Chief shook his head in reply. He then snapped a salute. "Sir."

Anderson crisply returned the salute. "Dismissed, Spartan." he said. "And good luck."

...

"I heard what happened to Captain Anderson." Joker said as he heard Master Chief approach the helm. With footfall like his, you always heard the Chief coming. Joker looked up and, sure enough, there was the spartan looking down on him. "Man survives a hundred battles, and then gets taken down by backroom politics. Just watch your back, Chief. Things go bad on this mission; you're next on their chopping block."

Chief digested his situation for a second. Backroom politics. Seemed likely enough. Chief couldn't shake the feeling that Anderson stepping down as captain wasn't entirely his choice. It was a mistake in his opinion. Anderson was a good captain; disciplined, no-nonsense, a little overzealous in political matters, but overall a good leader. He reminded Chief of Jacob Keyes, may he rest in peace.

"Captain Anderson stepped down so I could step up. I'm not going to let him down." Chief stated, stoic as ever. He'd be lying if he said he was entirely confident in his abilities as a ship captain. He lacked the experience for it; plain and simple. He did get a few brief lessons in ship tactics during basic training, but that was it.

"Everyone on the ship's behind you, Chief. One hundred percent." Joker proudly stated. "Intercom's open. If you've got anything you want to say to the crew, now's the time."

Chief looked down to the holographic panel Joker gestured to. His first impulse was to pass on it. His throat was sore enough already. He doubted a heroic speech was going to help. He was never any good at speeches anyway.

But then he remembered the war. How ONI eventually made the existence of SPARTAN-II's public in order boost morale. Spartans gave UNSC marines a symbol, something to rally around, a reason to hope for the best. It was then that he realized the true meaning behind Anderson's words. He was made the new captain of this ship because that's exactly what the _Normandy's _crew needed; a symbol. And not just someone who will fight alongside them to reassure them that victory is possible, but someone who will actually lead them.

Chief was no stranger to the burdens of leadership. But before, he was in charge only of a small squad of elite commandos, numbering no more than five at any given time. Now, he was in command of an entire ship. It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling...so he decided to do what all spartans do in strange and unfamiliar circumstances; adapt, develop, win.

If a symbol, a hero, and a leader is what these men and women needed, Chief was going to have to give it to them.

He pressed a button on the intercom and his deep, gravelly voice echoed throughout the ship.

"_Normandy _crew. This is Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117 speaking. I'm not good at inspirational speeches, but since I'm your new captain, I should probably give it a shot.

"I'm not going to bother with any metaphors or cite historic events so I'm just going to give you all the facts. Saren's location is unknown, but we know he is after something called the Conduit. We don't know what it is, but since Saren was willing to attack Eden Prime to get his hands on it, we have to assume the worst. Our current mission objective is to find and secure the Conduit before he does.

"It won't be easy. By now, the Attican Traverse is likely crawling with Geth, looking for the Conduit. And they're not going to let us have it without a fight. But I've been on this ship long enough to know that this one of the finest in the Alliance fleet. You're all here because Captain Anderson and Admiral Hackett knew what you did, and how good you were at doing it. It's time to prove them right.

"We're going to stop Saren. We're going to find and secure the Conduit. That is all."

When Chief clicked off, he heard, for the second time that day, a thunderous applause. Apparently, he was much better at speeches then he gave himself credit for.

But God almighty, was his throat on _fire._

"Well said, Chief." Joker said. "Captain would be proud."

"Planet Therum. Artemis Tau Cluster." Chief stated. "Take us there."

"Aye aye, Chief." Joker said as he typed in the coordinates. "It'll take us about...three days to get there."

Chief nodded in reply and made his way down the bridge with the intention to go to the galley and get a cup of water.

...

It didn't take long for the _Normandy _to pull out of dock. Once all personnel and supplies were on board and clearance was given by Alliance Tower, the magnetic clamps that held the ship in place detached and within moments, the _Normandy _was on her way outside of the Citadel fleet's protective perimeter and towards the mass relay that would take her out of the Serpent Nebula. The relay flashed, and flung the ship across time and space to another part of the galaxy, the first of several legs in the journey ahead. It was going to be a long three days.

After giving his throat some reprieve by way of a couple of cups of cold water, followed by some nutrition paste and a trip to the bathroom, Chief made his way to Anderson's quarters...which were now his quarters. He locked the door behind him out of habit and took a look around. Some would call it a small room, but it was far bigger than what Chief was accustomed to. He did all of his sleeping in cryo-pods back in the war.

He walked over to his new desk, where he noticed the chair. It seemed unusually big, as though it were meant for Chief. Still, Chief decided against sitting in it, at least while his armor was on. He took out Cortana's AI chip and held it up to his new desktop. Her holographic three-dimensional imaged sprung forth in place of the keypad. She took a look around the room.

"Nice digs." she noted.

"It's bigger than what I'm used to." Chief said. He then realized something. He looked down to Cortana.

"Can you access the ship from that computer?" Chief asked.

"Only inner-ship communications." Cortana replied. "Everything else is manually operated."

Chief nodded, fully understanding. Still, it would be a heck of a lot easier if this ship had its own AI. He supposed that Cortana on his PC and on the field will have to do. "I suppose you'll want me to squeeze Garrus and Wrex spots on the marine rotation and Tali somewhere in engineering?" Cortana asked.

"If you don't mind." Chief said.

"Fine." Cortana said. "I'll do it all with your signature. But for the record, I'm an AI. Not a secretary."

"Thanks." Chief said with a nod. "I suppose I should reward you..." he then reached into his belt and fished out the disc case containing the codex, the galactic encyclopedia that Cortana all but drooled over. Cortana's eyes widened, then she smiled at the spartan.

"I _do _know how to pick 'em." she said with a smile.

Chief nodded again before taking out the data disc and sliding it into the comp. "Oh, I'm going to love this." Cortana said, eyeing all that new data as though she were a newlywed eyeing her new spouse. It was then that Chief decided to take a real look around the room and noticed all the details. A window to look at all the stars outside, a coffee table to...enjoy coffee Chief guessed. He'll probably never use it himself. A bed...

...A bed.

To anyone else, a bed was just a bed. A soft matress with a pillow for head support and a blanket for warmth. But to a SPARTAN-II, a bed was the ultimate forbidden pleasure. They had beds in boot camp, when they were going through basic training from age six to age fourteen. It was hell at the time, but it wasn't until they were introduced to cryo-pods did the spartans realize just how much of a luxury beds were. Basic training was the last time Chief had ever slept in a real, honest-to-God bed.

And now, he was in his new quarters. With a bed that was his. All his.

John-117 had never, in his entire life, been so eager to get out of his armor.

Chief was no fool, however. He double-checked the lock on the door before going about the task of removing his armor. A process that took about five minutes.

"Turning in?" Cortana asked.

"You know it." Chief said after he removed his helmet. "I plan on taking off all my armor and I am going to sleep like a log in that bed, right there." Chief said as he pointed to the bed in question.

"What? You didn't get enough sleep after that beacon knocked you out on Eden Prime?" Cortana asked.

"That was a vision-induced coma. That doesn't count." Chief said as he finally took off the last piece of armor. Now in his jumpsuit, he turned off the lamp and made his way to the bed. "By my count, it's about 0230 hours, so I'm due for some shut-eye. Goodnight."

"Night." Cortana replied. Her form disappeared, casting the room in darkness. As she went about absorbing all the new information on the codex, she noted that earlier, she was right.

Chief WAS getting lazy.

...

About twenty hours had passed since the attack on Eden Prime, and while the attack itself went well enough, the aftermath had given Saren a considerable headache. He sat in his quarters, covering his face with a palm, trying to nurse that headache.

When it was learned that Nihlus was killed, he was sent a copy of the official mission reports by the council. Only three Humans interacted with the beacon; an Ashley Williams, a Kaidan Alenko, and that 'Master Chief' he'd been hearing so much about. According to the reports, the latter most of the three was somehow affected by the beacon, and was sent into a coma. Apparently, his mind wasn't quite as sophisticated as Saren's, and once the message was delivered, the beacon was destroyed. Saren hoped the Human likely died from a stroke or something; that his mind was overwhelmed by all that information and was destroyed.

Saren wasn't that lucky it seemed, as several hours later he received word that he had been summoned to trial; the Alliance was accusing him of treason; of murdering Nihlus and leading the attack on Eden Prime. It was an unexpected development. Saren thought he got away cleanly, but apparently, he left behind more loose ends than he thought. He holographically attended the meeting, keeping his cool, not wanting to do anything to indicate that the Alliance's charges were actually wholly correct.

Thankfully, the foundations of their accusations were shaky at best. All they really had to go on was the testimony of a babbling Unggoy dock worker. Unggoy are like the Volus; a pathetic species that is rarely taken seriously, and rightfully so. The council, unsurprisingly, dismissed Udina's claims. Saren felt relieved, but he knew that there was one more thing that could still mess it all up.

The Quarian.

He didn't know how, but a Quarian witnessed how he rallied his Geth troops on Klensal for the invasion of Eden Prime a few days before. Worst still, he had reason to believe that she might have hacked into one of the Geth's memory cores and obtained attack plan details. He sent his Geth after her but she got away. He hired information contacts to track her, who informed him of her flight path. Apparently, she was on her way to the Citadel. Perfect. There were plenty of hired guns there who would gladly eliminate her.

Saren turned out to be right. One of his agents told him that she was seeking out the Shadow Broker, apparently wanting to trade the information she got on Saren's schemes for a safe place to hide. Not only did the Quarian know about Saren and his plans, she knew Saren was after her.

Saren had done business with the Broker before. He knew how the game worked. He could purchase that evidence himself once the Broker had it, but he had no other information to buy it with, at least none that he was willing to share. The Broker accepted promises of information or favors in the future, but he could call in that favor at any given time. Saren wasn't going to waste time on odd jobs, not with so much on the line. And if Saren didn't agree to those odd jobs, the Broker will try to 'convince' the spectre to change his mind by sending a hit squad his way. Not to mention that, even if he could simply buy the information from the Broker, the Broker would still know and thus potentially use it as blackmail material later. No one would doubt information that came from the Shadow Broker, evidence or no. There were simply too many ways it could go wrong, too many risks. He found out Fist was handling her and offered him triple what the Broker was offering. Fist took it up, and he and Saren arranged the meeting.

However, there was still John. Saren refused to address him as 'Master Chief.' It made him sound too much like some kind of elite hero. He would not give a _Human _such an honorific. He had seen the vision and lived to testify about it. Or rather, Anderson testified for him. John just stood and glared at Saren. Apparently his file was correct. Calling him by his first, given name WAS the quickest way to get under his skin. He didn't know Humans put such high value on names.

Anyway, John had seen what Saren had seen. It was useless without the other pieces of the puzzle, but Saren wasn't willing to take that chance. The moment he found out it was the spartan who used the beacon and was heading for the Citadel, he contacted every thug he could find and hired them to take him out.

Oddly enough, they never reported back. The only one he'd heard back from was one Krogan assassin John handed in to C-Sec, having apparently killed the rest of the hit squad. Saren probably should have foreseen this. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew Humans weren't SO dumb that they would have an incompetent soldier try out for the spectres.

However, the real trouble came when the hit squad he hired to kill the Quarian failed to report back after the 'meeting.' He got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Sure enough, about an hour later, he was sent a warrant for his arrest, a final chance to peacefully turn himself in before the council sends someone after him. Apparently, the Quarian decided the Shadow Broker wasn't very trustworthy after what he allegedly tried to pull and decided to hand the evidence over to the council instead.

And so, Saren was instantly stripped of his spectre status. All the resources and privileges that came with it: gone. It would not stop him though. His disbarment from the spectres was a heavy blow, but not a critical one. Most of his major operations were taking place in the Attican Traverse anyway, which was far too close to the Terminus Systems than the council would like. Unsurprisingly though, they are sending another spectre rather than a whole fleet into the Traverse after him. But what angered him most was who they were sending.

They decided to send John.

"Fools." Saren spat. For years he had tried to warn the council about the threat the Humans posed. They nearly overran the Turians at Shanxi and, if left unchecked, would do the same to the entire galaxy. The council races would end up like the former-Covenant races; servants. Slaves disguised as allies. Those races fought at Shanxi as well, but Saren wasn't blind. Humans were the ones calling all the shots in that campaign because they were the ones in charge of the Forerunner Cluster, while the other races conceded to their wishes, not wanting to incur their wrath. And if nothing was done, the rest of the Citadel races would soon find themselves in similar roles. It's why the Batarians seceded. They saw that fate coming and wanted to avoid it.

But no. Saren's warnings fell on deaf ears. There was now a Human in the spectres which meant it wouldn't be long before they got a council seat too. It sickened him. And it actually made him look forward to the return of the Reapers a little. At the very least, the council would likely die in the first wave, and the gene pools of their respective species would no longer be at risk to their idiocy.

As Saren reflected on all these past events, Matriarch Benezia stood by his side, ever the faithful second-in-command. "The council knows you're working against them." Benezia said. "What will you do?"

"The only thing I can do. Press on." Saren said. "Our holdings on Noveria and Virmire are still safe, for the most part. Warlord Gark tells me the invasion of Feros is due to begin soon."

"And Therum?" Benezia asked.

"The attack will begin in three days. Hopefully your daughter can provide some insight on the Conduit's location." Saren replied. "How goes the search on Eletania?" he asked.

"Nothing as of yet." Benezia promptly replied.

"Tell them to keep searching." Saren ordered. "Call in three more Geth divisions and add them to the Feros invasion force. Once we set out for Feros, we'll drop off those divisions on Eletania to help. They'll have to keep searching on their own in the meantime."

"By your will, Saren." Benezia said as she walked away. She paused at the door and then turned around. "The spectre...John...what if he attempts to stop us?"

Saren looked over his shoulder and stared at Benezia as though she were an idiot. "Then _eliminate him._" he hissed

"That may be easier said than done." Benezia said. "There's the issue of his various physical augmentations." She read John's profile too. "Enhanced speed and strength, unbreakable bones, superior reflexes..."

"Don't tell me you actually BELIEVE that." Saren spat. "The Humans can barely create a decent omni-tool, let alone a super-soldier. And even if they could, I highly doubt this man was woken up from cryo-stasis after winning a war that has long since ended. He's an unusually tall Human in a fancy suit. Nothing more."

Benezia bowed and begged his pardon before leaving. Saren went back to thinking. His plan had certainly suffered some setbacks. Some were minor. Others, not so much. But his plan was still far from ruined. He would have to be more careful from now on, though. He would have to try harder to keep his activities hidden. If the Council ever found out the truth, they might just risk a war with the Terminus to stop what Saren was doing.

Not that it would stop him. Nothing would stop him...because nothing _could_


	10. Bored, Bored, Bored

0600 Hours, February 25th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Undisclosed location in the Exodus Cluster

...

Master Chief's eyes snapped open. "Time." he said.

"0600, on the dot." Cortana announced. "I think you've got your groove back."

Chief smiled. Indeed he did. He'd only been asleep for about four hours, but it was the most comfortable four hours he had in a while. He looked forward to when he'd get to enjoy full seven hour sleep shifts. He got up out of his bed and went to work putting on his armor, which made Cortana raise her eyebrow as she materialized on the computer.

"You're putting on your armor?" Cortana asked.

"Yup." Chief replied.

"Why? We won't be reaching Therum for at least another sixty hours." Cortana pointed out.

Chief opened his mouth to give an answer, only to find he couldn't give one. Instead, he stayed silent and resumed putting on his armor.

"You didn't answer my question." Cortana noted.

"I like being prepared." Chief said as he put on his helmet.

"Prepared for what?" Cortana said. "We're in the middle of nowhere."

"No. We're in the middle of the Traverse where pirate attacks are very common. If we get boarded, I'd like to be ready for them." Chief explained.

Cortana sighed in defeat. She learned a long time ago that getting a spartan to walk around without their armor was kind of like trying to get a little kid to eat broccoli. Cortana went into her AI chip and Chief slipped it into the back of his helmet.

"So, what are we gonna do today?" Cortana asked.

"First, get some breakfast." Chief replied. With that, he left his quarters and went out to the Mess Hall. Several servicemen greeted him as he entered.

"We expecting action, sir?" one of the servicemen asked.

"Not right now." Chief said.

"Then why the armor?" he asked.

"See? I'm not the only one." Cortana teased.

"I like being in my armor." Chief said, answering both Cortana and the servicemen. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Uh, no sir." the servicemen timidly replied.

"Good. Back to your meal." Chief said as he walked up to the paste dispenser. As he punched in his selection, Chief noticed Staff Lt. Kaidan Alenko working on a control panel of some kind by the sleep pods. He wiped some sweat off his brow, which struck the spartan as odd since it wasn't that hot, at least not to him. His paste tube came out; chicken.

It soon called Chief's stomach its home within thirty seconds. He then threw the empty tube into the garbage bin. He then stood there for several seconds.

"Well, NOW what are you going to do?" Cortana asked.

Chief thought about it for a moment. "Might as well check our progress. See how we're doing." He then turned around and headed up the stairs towards Deck 1. Cortana mentally sighed. Poor Chief. It was the two-day journey to Eden Prime all over again; her spartan was bored and was desperate for something to do. Chief ascended the stairs and arrived on the CIC. The marines standing guard by the door saluted Chief, and he saluted back. With that out of the way, Chief walked up to XO Pressly. He was the _Normandy's _navigation and executive officer. He was Anderson's second-in-command, and is now Chief's; at least as far as the ship goes. Kaidan was head of marine detail so he was the Chief's right-hand man on the battlefield. Still, Chief felt comfortable with Pressly as XO. He was good at his job. Speaking of which, if anyone would know what their progress was, it would be him.

"Chief." Pressly said with a salute, which Chief returned out of habit. "I never got the chance to properly congratulate you on making Captain. I know you'll run this ship as tight as Anderson did sir. Very good speech earlier too. It really raised the crew's spirits."

"How's our progress?" Chief asked.

"We're passing through the Exodus Cluster right now, but Therum's still a long way off, I'm afraid." Pressly replied.

Chief nodded in reply. He figured as much. "Uh, sir? Permission to speak freely?" Pressly asked.

"Granted." Chief said.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure if bringing non-Humans aboard the ship was a good idea." Pressly began. "Humanity's always taken care of its own problems. Saren attacked one of OUR colonies, we should be the ones to handle it. Plus...well...you're the Master Chief. You don't need any help from aliens, do you?"

"I don't normally work with aliens." Chief replied. "But the aliens on this ship volunteered for this mission. I recognized their skill-sets so I let them on board. I don't like the idea of serving with aliens anymore than you do, Pressly. But I'm not going to turn away help when it could be useful. To do otherwise is stubborn and stupid."

"Noted sir." Pressly replied with a nod. "It's just my grandfather fought in the First Contact War and...well, you fought in the great war so you know how it is."

Chief nodded. "Don't worry Pressly. If any of the non-Humans on the ship deliberately do something to compromise the mission, I plan on kicking them off the ship...via the airlock if necessary."

Pressly chuckled at that. "THAT'S the Master Chief my kids look up to!"

"In all seriousness though Pressly, I don't expect the non-Humans on the ship to impede your duties." Chief sternly said.

"Of course not sir. I'd never let personal feelings get in the way of a mission. I can keep myself in check, you don't need to worry about me." Pressly assurd the spartan.

"Good to hear." Chief said with a nod. With that, he walked towards the helm where Joker likely was.

"So wha-"

"We're going to go around the ship." Chief answered after turning off his speakers, answering Cortana's question before she could finish it. "Make sure everything is running the way it should." Cortana decided not to raise any further protests or questions.

The spartan eventually arrived at the helm. He looked out the windows and saw naught but empty, black space dotted by stars. "Chief." Joker said, noting the spartan's presence. "Something you need?"

"Just checking in. Making sure everything's going smoothly." Chief replied.

"Smooth as smooth can be, sir." Joker replied.

Chief nodded and walked away.

"...Alright." Joker said, a little off-put by the spartans' sudden check-in and equally sudden departure. "See ya."

...

Chief decided to pay Dr. Chakwas, the ship's head medical officer, a visit. He needed to make sure everyone on board was in top physical condition. He entered the med-bay and found Chakwas typing something on her PC. She looked up to him and smiled.

"Chief." she greeted. "Do you need me for something?"

"Just a medical report on all crew members. Any health problems I should be made aware of?" Chief asked.

"None that would effect the immediate mission Chief." Chakwas said.

"What about the aliens?" the spartan pressed.

"I gave Garrus, Wrex and Tali clean bills of health after they came aboard." Chakwas replied.

"I take it you're familiar with alien biology?" Chief asked.

"It's part of basic training in the medical branch of the Alliance, just in case." The doctor stood a little more erect. "If anyone on this mission, Human or otherwise, receives a serious injury, I'll treat them as best I can. You have my word on that, Chief."

Chief nodded, satisfied with the physical state of the crew. He turned and went out the door.

"I take it we're going down to Engineering on Deck 3 next?" Cortana asked.

"Yup." Chief replied.

"Well, while we're down there, I think you're going to want to have a chat with Tali." the AI said.

"Why?" Chief asked.

"Well, you know our new buddies the Geth? A race of androids isn't just spontaneously born. They have to be created by someone else. I'll give you three guesses who created them." the AI explained.

"The Quarians?" Chief asked.

"Got it in one!" Cortana declared.

Chief scowled a bit. "You think Tali's going to betray us to the Geth?" he asked as he hit the elevator call button.

"HIGHLY unlikely. The Geth rebelled against the Quarians and banished them from their own homeworld." Cortana explained. "They've been living in a ramshackle nomadic fleet ever since. They call it the 'Flotilla' and alternatively the 'Migrant Fleet.' So I don't see why she would sell us out to the machines that banished her people. Hell, I'd bet she's got more motivation to kill Geth than anyone else on this ship."

Chief nodded in understanding as the elevator door opened. He walked in and hit the button, beginning the annoyingly slow descent to Deck 3. When it finally hit the garage, Chief found the place sparsely populated by his new crew members. Wrex was leaning against a locker of some kind, and gave the SPARTAN-II a nod before going back to...loitering apparently. Chief scowled at the Krogan. He made a note to have a chat with him regarding the term 'productive use of time.' He looked over Ashley, who was seen polishing weapons by the weapons lockers. She immediately noticed him, dropped what she was doing, and saluted him. He saluted back. Ashley nodded at the spartan and went back to work. He looked from the left side of the garage to the right, where Garrus Vakarian was tinkering around with the mako.

That set off some alarms in the spartan's brain.

Chief took stock of the situation. Garrus was currently kneeling in front of one of the tires, pressing some buttons on his omni-tool. Data collection to send back to the Turian Hierarchy? Unlikely. Garrus was just some hotheaded cop. He doesn't have the connections to send information that high up the chain of command, and even if he did, it was doubtful his government would take him seriously. Besides, he seemed very intent on helping Chief on his man...alienhunt for Saren, so it was doubtful he would do something to compromise that mission.

Still, Chief decided he had to make sure.

He walked over to Garrus who looked up to Chief upon hearing him approach. "Hello Chief." the Turian greeted as he stood up. "Is there something you need?"

"Just wondering what you're doing." Chief gouged in a neutral tone.

"Just giving the Mako a tune-up. The suspension seemed a little off to me." Garrus answered.

"You have mechanical experience?"

"A little bit. First job before the military was as a mechanic's assistant. I learned a thing or two about kyrone rovers. They're not that different from the mako in design, actually. They're similar enough that I feel I can make some adjustments." Garrus explained.

Chief nodded in understanding and then headed off towards Engineering. "Chief." Garrus said, garnering the spartan's attention. "I just wanted to thank you again for letting me on. I'll do my best. You can bet on it."

Chief only nodded at the Turian again before resuming his trek to Engineering.

He had never been in that part of the ship before, so when he arrived, he was impressed. The Engineering crew were all working on various control panels, data pads and omni-tools, but what really got the spartan's attention was the core. It looked like a three-clawed prong of some sort, holding a glowing blue ball of pure element zero energy in its talons. The circular, semi-cone shaped walls around it slowly rotated with the prong itself, and every so often there would be a streak of light pulsing from the walls to the core itself. It was then that Chief Engineer Adams walked up to the spartan and saluted.

"Master Chief. Wasn't expecting you to come down here." he greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Is the core working alright?" Chief asked. That big ball of energy unnerved him. Do ALL ships have glowing blue cores like that one?

"Drive core's working just fine, Chief." Adams replied. Chief then spotted Tali on the far left of the railing that overlooked the core. His eyes turned back to Adams.

"How's the Quarian acclimatizing?" the spartan asked.

"She's doing good. But she sure does ask a lot of questions about our engines." Adams replied.

Questions? About the engines? Maybe the Quarian was a security risk after all. "Don't worry. I'll make her stop."

"What?" Adams said. His eyes widened when he got the gist of what Chief was saying. "No! She's amazing. I wish my guys were half as smart as she is. She's got a real knack for technology, that one. Give her a month on this ship and she'll know more about our engines than I do."

Chief was aware of that, and it's exactly what concerned him. "I need to talk with Tali for a minute. Think you can spare her?" the super-soldier asked.

"Of course, sir." Adams said before stepping aside.

Chief walked up to the Quarian. She turned and saw the Chief coming. She faced him and started babbling like a schoolgirl. "Chief, this ship is AMAZING!" She proclaimed. "I can't believe a ship this small would have drive core THAT big!" she went on, gesturing to the core behind her.

So, she did have an interest in the ship. And she wasn't shy about it. Either she was genuinely and innocently fascinated with the inner workings of the _Normandy, _or she was a lousy spy. "I take it the Flotilla would be interested in this ship?" Chief asked, hoping his question came across as innocent enough.

"Definitely!" Tali replied. "This ship could solve so many problems on the Flotilla!"

"Problems?" Chief asked.

"The Flotilla has many. Engines always getting caked with muck, defense systems need constant re-wiring, and we're locked in a never-ending struggle to keep Life-Support online. Many of the ships in our fleet date back to the Geth wars three-hundred years ago. They're falling apart." Tali explained. "That's why we Quarians are so interested in ships. It's the only thing keeping our species alive."

"Alive? You mean the Quarians face extinction?" Chief asked.

Tali dipped her head in sorrow. "We're...closer to it than most species are, I suppose. There are only a few hundred million of us left after the Geth Wars." she said. "It's why the Pilgrimage is so important. Anything we bring back to the fleet must be something to be treasured, something that HAS to be useful."

"She's not kidding, Chief." Cortanna interjected. "According to the codex, calling the Quarian Flotilla a 'fleet' is generous. It's more like a caravan. A caravan of really old crappy ships."

It was the third time Tali mentioned the pilgrimage to Chief. The spartan didn't know what it was, nor did he really care. He had no interest in alien cultures, just how aliens fight, what kind of weapons they use, and how they can be bested in combat if need be.

As for the Quarians, Chief eliminated them as a significant threat to Humanity. Their lack of numbers, combined with the sorry state of their fleet, meant that they were hardly in any position to wage war on Humans, or any other species for that matter. Course now that made him wonder about the Turians and the Krogan. He had little love for the Turian Hierarchy, but he eliminated Garrus as a probable breach of security. The Krogan were another matter though. Cortana had been studying the details of the galaxy by reading through the codex. Maybe she can provide some insight on whether or not the Krogan are a threat. If Wrex was a spy, Chief needed to know.

But that was neither here nor there. For now, the real reason Chief wanted to talk to Tali.

"Tali. I need to talk to you about something." Chief said.

Tali was a little taken aback by the sudden change in topic. Not that she was complaining. The plight of her race was hardly something she wanted to openly talk about. "Sure." she said. Chief nodded and lead her away from the rest of the engineering crew, wanting a little more privacy. They arrived in one of the two hallways that connected the engine room to the garage. Chief stopped and turned towards the Quarian.

"Tell me everything you know about the Geth." he said.

Tali was surprised by the spartan's bluntness. Out of one awkward topic and in to another, she mused. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"You're Quarian. Your people created the Geth." Chief said. "That means you're the closest thing I've got to a Geth expert."

"Er...I doubt I can tell you much more than what the average Quarian knows..." she replied, unsure.

"Which is still more that what _I _know." Chief pointed out. "If I'm going to be fighting more Geth, I need to know more about them. Start talking."

"Well...I don't know that much...All I know is the story of their origins. What they were when we created them, and how they turned on us." Tali said.

Chief considered this for a moment. Origins? How would THAT help in a firefight? Then again, one of the first things Chief ever saw in basic training was the history of the Outer Colonies; how and why they were threatening civil war. Understanding the why's behind the fight can help with the how's in some situations. Keeping this in mind, Chief nodded at the Quarian to begin.

Cortana could've told Chief the history of the Geth herself. She read about it on the codex. But she wasn't about to do anything to give her spartan an excuse to not talk to someone.

"The Geth were originally created to serve as an automated manual labor force." Tali began. "Initially, their intelligence was as limited as any VI. Over time, we made small modifications to their programming to allow them to perform more varied and complex tasks, bringing them closer and closer to true AI status."

"I thought AI's were illegal in Citadel Space." Chief interrupted.

"This wasn't true AI research." Tali replied. "We may have been skirting the bounds of the law, but we never did anything that was actually illegal. The changes were so insignificant, so gradual, that we were able to control them...or so we thought."

It was then Tali said something that caught the spartan's attention. "But one thing we underestimated was the power of the neural network. A million Geth thinking simultaneously created an inherently unstable matrix."

"Neural network?" Chief asked.

"Many of the Geth's logic systems were designed to work in concert with other nearby Geth. Basically, the more you have of them in a group, the smarter they are." Tali replied.

Chief furrowed his brow in thought. "So, this neural network is some kind of hive mind?" the commando pressed, bad memories of the Flood coming to mind. He'd rather not fight an enemy that was even remotely like those parasites.

"No, nothing like that." Tali corrected. "The Geth cannot share sensory data or information. Their programming cannot handle that much simultaneous input. Each Geth maintains a vague, individual awareness and identity. The neural network only works on a process-based level. It's basically the synthetic equivalent of a subconscious. But when they're in close proximity, they can coordinate low-level functional processes, freeing up more capacity for original or independent thought."

Cortana silently listened to Tali's explanation with interest. She had read it all before, of course, but it was still interesting to hear the Quarian explain it. The Geth seemed to be completely different from the smart AI's the UNSC used. Cortana found the Geth fascinating, dangerous as they were. Chief, however, was having trouble following.

"I...don't really get it." Chief said. He didn't like having conversations with engies like Tali. They had a tendency to use needlessly big words.

"I'm probably over-simplifying." Tali said. "The Geth are extremely complicated and advanced creations. All you need to know is, they get smarter when they gather in large numbers."

"So, I take it the Geth eventually turned sentient through the neural network?" Chief asked.

"Yes." Tali confirmed. "As we built more and more Geth, their effective intelligence became more sophisticated, more abstract. One day, a Geth began to ask its Quarian overseer questions about the nature of its existence. 'Am I alive?' 'Why am I here?' 'What is my purpose?' As you can imagine, this caused a near panic among my people."

"What did you do?" Chief asked.

"It was inevitable the newly-sentient Geth would rebel against their situation. We knew they would rise up against us. So we acted first. The Quarian government sent a general order across all Quarian-controlled systems to permanently shut down all Geth. The Geth reacted violently. After a long and bloody war, we were forced to flee our own homeworld, lest we face extinction by their hands. We feared they would pursue us, but for some reason, they never ventured beyond our home cluster, the Perseus Veil."

Chief nodded in understanding. "The information you've given about the neural network should be useful on this mission. It was good of you to share it."

"My pleasure." Tali said with a nod. "The Geth exiled my people. It is because of them that we now drift through space without a homeworld to call our own. They pushed us to the brink of extinction. So I just want you to know that, if we do encounter Geth on Therum, I'll fight with fire, right by your side, Chief. You have my word on that."

"I appreciate your dedication, Tali." Chief said. "But you're an engineer, not a soldier. Your place is right by the drive core."

Tali paused, then nodded. The Chief then turned and walked away. Tali watched him go, then went back to her post with a sigh as the door behind Chief closed.

The Neural Network. Interesting. The more Geth there were in a given area, the more complex tasks they could do. That meant the more Geth there were in a given area, the more complex tactics they could employ. A single patrolling squad of Geth shouldn't be too hard to outwit, but a whole battalion would be another issue entirely. They'd be capable of flanking, drawing enemy fire, suppressing fire; hell, get a whole division and it's like playing Chess against a regional Chess champion who has more pieces than you do.

The Geth brought new meaning to the term 'strength in numbers.' Chief actually saw the Neural Network in action on Eden Prime. The small squads of Geth were fairly simple, but the larger squads employed slightly more advanced tactics. It was subtle, but it was there.

As Chief walked back into the elevator, a new thought crossed his mind. He had about 68 hours and 12 minutes left before the _Normandy_ reached Therum. Everything on the ship was as it should be, and required no further checking. The ship has no proper excersising facility. Not even a gun range. They WERE in the Attican Traverse, so an attack by pirates was possible, but given the _Normandy's _stealth systems, not very likely.

NOW what was he going to do?

...

"Chief was asking you about the sleeping pods?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah. Specifically, he wanted to know how long they can knock you out for and if they had one in his size." Kaidan said on the other end of the line. The two marines were using the computers at their stations to talk. "I told him the sleeper pod is just a bed that administers its own sleep-aid. Wouldn't knock him out for much longer than seven hours. He walked away after that."

Ashley sighed. "I think he was looking for a way to speed up the trip."

"What do you mean?" Kaidan asked.

"Back in the Great War, SPARTAN-II's were either on a mission, or in cryo-sleep waiting for a mission." Ashley explained. "The phrase 'down time' wasn't in their vocabulary. We've got a three-day trip ahead of us, and all this waiting is probably pure torture for him. He's looking for a way to make the time go by quicker."

"You think?" Kaidan asked.

"I know." Ashley replied.

"Huh. You seem to know an awful lot about spartans, Ash." Kaidan observed.

"What can I say? I'm a fan." Ashley said. And she was right. She read history books on the SPARTAN-II's almost as much as she read the bible. She studied their tactics and fantasized about employing them herself in combat. The Charge 'n Barge, the Rain of Fire, the John Woo, the Homerun, the Ghost-Jack, the Peekaboo, Ashley knew them all by heart. She even watched the Master Chief Saturday morning cartoon show when she was a child. She had no idea why it was canceled after only one season. That show was pure gold.

Though that Unggoy sidekick Chief had in it WAS kind of annoying...

"Huh. Well, if Chief's looking for a way to kill time, maybe I can send him an invite to the next Poker game in the garage." Kaidan said.

"Yeah well, if you do, don't forget to send one to me." Ashley said. She was fond of the idea of playing poker with her childhood hero. "Talk to ya later, LT." she said before signing off.

She went back to work, cleaning the various weapons in the armory, taking an occasional glance at Wrex and Garrus. Garrus was still tuning up the mako, and Wrex was just lounging around, not doing much of anything. Their presence unnerved her.

If there was one decision of Chief's the marine questioned, it was letting these two on board. Turians and Krogan were currently on Humanity's 'naughty' list. The former because of Shanxi, and the latter because well, Krogan were on everyone's 'naughty' list these days. She was willing to acknowledge that they were pretty good in a fight, but there are other factors to consider when recruiting people for a mission. She made a note to talk to Chief about it when she had the chance.

It was then that she noted the Quarian coming out from Engineering. She, on the other hand, Ashley had no real problem with. The Quarians were no threat to Humanity. Hell, if anything, the marine pitied them. Just a few hours ago, while cleaning the rifles, she was flipping through extranet broadcasts when she stumbled upon a talk show owned by one of those Terra Firma bigots. He was spouting some anti-Quarian speech, saying the Quarians created the Geth, meaning they were responsible for what happened on Eden Prime. Ashley didn't believe that. Yeah, Quarians created the Geth, but the Geth rebelled, pushing the Quarians off their own homeworld. Yeah, she was mad about what happened on Eden Prime, but she didn't blame the Quarians. She blamed Saren and the Geth. It's not like the Quarians deliberately created a homicidal machine race so they could take over the galaxy or anything. Ashley just didn't think they really deserved all the bad press they got.

The suited alien walked past Wrex and up to Ashley. The marine raised her eyebrow at this. She didn't think any of the non-Humans would want to talk to her.

"Ashley. Right?" she asked. Ashley nodded. "We've never been properly introduced. My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, but you can just call me Tali."

Ashley smiled at her and held out her hand. "Good to meet you Tali. You acclimatizing well enough?"

"Very well, actually. Your Chief Engineer gave me a break." Tali replied as she cautiously shook the marine's hand. "A month ago, I was patching a make-shift fuel line into a converted tug-ship in the Flotilla. Now, I'm one of the most advanced ships in the in Citadel space! I mean, I STILL can't get over that drive core. I'm starting to understand why you Humans have been so successful."

"Yeah, well, we've been at this whole 'space exploration' thing for a few centuries now." Ashley said with no small hint of pride. The council thought banning slipspace would impede Humanity's progress, but all they really did was give the species another challenge to overcome. Humans were pretty good at overcoming challenges. "So, what can I do for you?"

Tali then looked around, unsure as she fidgeted her hands. "It's Chief." she said. "He...doesn't trust me. Does he?"

Ashley was a little taken aback by that question. "I wouldn't know. He never mentioned his opinions of you to me." she honestly replied. "But I'm pretty sure he doesn't think you'd betray him or anything. He wouldn't have let you on board this ship if he did."

"I know." Tali said. "That's not what I meant. I told him that I would fight by his side on Therum...but he told me my place was at the side of the drive core, amongst the other engineers." she shook her head. "He doesn't think I can fight."

Ashley raised an eyebrow at this. "Well to be fair, you ARE a civvie."

"Civvie..." Tali said, as though testing the word. "Chief used that word before. What does it mean?"

"Short for civilian. Non-combatant." Ashley promptly replied.

Tali shook her head. "I'm no soldier, but that doesn't mean I can't fight. When I took self-defense training before leaving the Flotilla, the instructor said I was one of the best shots he had ever seen. Said I was a monster with a shotgun. If I ever join the Migrant Fleet Marines, I'd be a shoe-in for Sergeant, and I know it. Hell, Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema all but BEGGED me to join the marines when I got back! I'm not just an engineer! I can hold my own in a fight and I want Chief to recognize that!"

Ashley was a little surprised by how fiery Tali was. Seemed like she was eager to show the Chief what she was really made of. Ashley didn't blame her. She wanted to prove herself to the Chief on Eden Prime; it's part of why she fought as well as she did. Looks like she succeeded in that endeavor. Chief asked for Ashley by name once he was made a spectre.

"Maybe I can teach you a little bit?" Ashley suggested.

Tali's eyes seemed to shift. Ashley guessed she was raising an eyebrow, but it was hard to tell with the visor on. "How would that help?" Tali asked.

"The reason Chief doesn't think you can fight is because you never received any proper military training." Ashley began. "Maybe if I give you a crash course in how Alliance marines fight, he'd think differently of you. Hell, maybe I can even teach you a few spartan tactics."

"Spartan tactics?" Tali asked.

"Yeah. You know, the tactics used by spartans like Chief." Ashley replied.

"Oh." Tali said. She paused. "This is going to sound stupid but...what's a spartan?"

"Human super-soldier from a century back." Ashley said.

"You mean Chief is over a hundred years old?" Tali asked. "I didn't know Humans lived that long."

"We don't. Well, not usually. Chief was frozen and was woken out of cryo a couple of weeks ago." Ashley said.

Tali just stood there. Silent.

"I'll give you the whole story later." Ashley said.

"Yes. Please do." Tali replied. "So...you can really teach me how to fight like one of these...'spartans?'" Tali asked.

"I've been studying spartan tactics for years." Ashley said. "Trust me. When I'm done with you, the Chief won't think of you as just another engie anymore."

...

For the next several hours Master Chief, for lack of a better word, meditated. He sat in his chair with his door closed, going over all possible strategies that can be used against the Geth, over and over in his mind. He then headed down to Deck 3 and practiced assembling and disassembling weapons. He had to be as familiar as he could with them for the campaign that lied ahead. This cycle repeated for the rest of the trip. Check the ship's progress. Meditate. Practice assembling weapons. He'd eat when he needed to eat. He'd sleep when he needed to sleep. And he'd go to the bathroom when he needed to go to the bathroom.

One time, Kaidan invited Chief to join a few other crew members for a game of Poker. The spartan declined. He failed to see how it was relevant to the mission.

Not long after his chat with Tali, Chief had Cortana follow up his suspicions regarding the possible security risk that the Krogan mercenary Urdnot Wrex posed. Thankfully, the risk turned out to be minimal. According to the codex the Krogan Rebellions, a war that was fought about a thousand years ago, utterly devastated the Krogan to the point where their organized government was shattered, and that they still lack one today. So Wrex was no spy for his people, but he might still be a spy for the Shadow Broker. Cortana doubted it. Wrex was a hired gun, not a covert agent. If anything, the Broker would've hired Wrex to kill Chief, not spy on him. Spying was a task better suited to someone more...subtle. It did little to ease the spartan's nerves, though. He still planned on keeping a close eye on the merc.

About a day before arriving on the planet, Chief asked Cortana to look up information on Therum in the codex. According to her, Therum was a dry, arid planet with a lot of volcanic activity. The crust was rich with various minerals and heavy metals ripe for the mining; likely why the Sangheili were interested in it. Their various mining operations on the colony have played a large part in fueling a recent manufacturing boom on Sangheilios, their homeworld. Although, calling Therum a colony was a little generous. 'Frontier Oupost' was more appropriate. It was considered a very small settlement, by Sangheili Empire standards anyway. Cortana also said the elites have been studying the Prothean ruins on the planet, apparently having taken an interest in them. Probably why they enlisted the help of Dr. T'soni. They knew she was a good archaeologist and that Protheans were her specialty.

Chief already had the mission all planned out. Dr. Liara T'soni had been labeled as a VIP; her safe retrieval was the main objective of the mission and was to be accomplished at all costs. There was no word of any Geth presence on Therum, but Chief always assumed the worst. Saren wasn't stupid. He knew that Benezia's daughter could provide some insight on the Conduit, so there would likely be Geth on the planet, assuming Saren hadn't taken her already.

They would approach the planet with stealth systems active, and make a covert drop on the planet with the mako. They'd slip in, grab Liara, and slip out. The elites would likely be up in arms about losing her, but as a spectre, Chief was above the law. It was within his power to take Liara, and he would, whether the squidheads liked it or not.

Chief thought a bit about squad composition. He'd take Kaidan and Ashley, no debate there. They proved themselves against the Geth on Eden Prime. Garrus and Wrex, on the other hand, were a little more uncertain. Chief knew they were capable in a fight, but that was just a small firefight in a sleazy strip club. Therum, assuming the very worst, would be a full-blown battleground. That will be the REAL test of their skills.

Chief sighed. The plan was laid out. All he had to do now was wait until they actually get to Therum.

Chief hated waiting.

...

**Next chapter will cover the Therum mission. And yes, it's a Sangheili colony world and yes, Chief will be encountering them during the course of the mission.**

**Hmmmmmmm...I wonder why I re-wrote the mission like that. Hint hint. Wink wink. Nudge nudge**


	11. Squidhead

**Big time apologies for the lack of updates. Schoolwork is mostly to blame.**

...

0600 Hours, February 27th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Knossos System, Artemis Tau Cluster

...

Master Chief's eyes snapped open. "Time." he said.

"0600." Cortana announced.

"How long until we reach Therum?" he pressed. He knew today would be the day.

"I'd say about two or three more hours." the AI reported.

Master Chief smiled. It was game time.

...

After a quick breakfast, the Master Chief ordered Kaidan Alenko, Ashley Williams, Garrus Vakarian and Urdnot Wrex to meet him in the garage on Deck 3. They were going to be the ground team. They still had a couple of hours before making landfall on Therum, which left the Chief with just enough time to prepare his team properly.

The first thing they had to do was arrange the squad communications network, something the techies were able to help with. When the task was done, each squad mate noticed a new addition to their HUD; a series of dots and bars next to each member's name, indicating their status. Their hardsuits were now linked, recognizing each other as friendlies.

"This is Master Chief. Can everyone hear me?" Chief asked over the squad com. The dots next to Ashley, Kaidan, Garrus, and Wrex's names all winked green before going back to being dark circles. The dots next to their names were usually used by spartans to indicate team status. Green meant everything was fine, orange meant uncertain, and red was usually bad news. The blue bar underneath their names indicated current shield strength, while the yellow bar underneath the blue bar indicated hardsuit integrity. Finally, there were constantly waving lines underneath those bars; the biological vital signs of the team.

After that, Chief gave them all a brief rundown on hand signals. 'Can do,' 'Stay cool,' 'Unknown Ahead,' all were signals Chief used with Blue Team and occasionally UNSC marines. Ashley and Kaidan knew most of them already, no surprise there. Garrus and Wrex were able to grasp them well enough, so that fear was alleviated. The spartan's companions all put on their helmets. Garrus gave Chief the 'Can do,' signal.

All of these preparations were necessary. Chief couldn't help but notice that between a marine, a biotic, a mercenary and an ex-cop, his team was a little too ragtag for his liking. If they were going to fight beside him, he needed them more organized. Now, they were as cohesive as they were going to get for the time being. They were ready.

"We've just entered the Knossos system." Joker said over the intercom. "T-minus 45 minutes until landfall."

The squad looked on as the _Normandy _servicemen scrambled to get the Mako into position for drop. In the years since the Human-Covenant War, the ODST corps, considered by many to be second only to spartans, had expanded. This eventually led to the development of ODAV's (Orbital Drop Assault Vehicles) like the M35 Mako. These vehicles were often launched in conjunction with ODST drops, and the Alliance military worked around the clock to develop more efficient ways of getting ever larger vehicles safely dropped onto any given battlefield from orbit. ODAV's were designed with incredibly powerful shield generators and powerful armor that made them all but immune to atmosphere burn and came equipped with booster rockets to lessen the force of impact. Their biggest strength however, was utility. While they were often dropped from high orbit by carriers and cruisers, they could also be dropped from low orbit by frigates like the _Normandy._

The M35 Mako was one of, if not the, finest rapid deployment vehicle ever, capable of being dropped on any planet at any given time. There was only one real weakness, which the squad was learning about as they boarded the mako once it was in position; a cramped interior. Not only did it limit the number of troops it could carry, it was also very uncomfortable.

It turned out to be very uncomfortable indeed for Garrus Vakarian, as he sat across from Urnot Wrex, who did nothing but leer at him through those glowing orange eyeholes in his helmet. Master Chief was piloting, Kaidan co-piloting, and Ashley would be operating the guns, which left Garrus all alone with the Krogan. Trying his best not to remember all those horror stories about Krogan beating up Turians for fun, Garrus focused his thoughts on the mission.

"Preparing to drop in...3...2...1..." Joker said. With that, the doors of the cargo bay yawned open, the wind howling around the mako's hull. Chief slammed on the gas pedal and the mako flung itself forward and fell to Therum's surface with all the elegance and grace of a flying brick. About half-way down, Kaidan engaged the booster rockets to lessen the impact when the mako hit the ground. When it did, it was little worst then a particularly large bump in a road for the crew.

"Alenko. Status." Chief said.

"Engine's fine. Navigational radar and motion trackers are online and functioning." Kaidan reported.

"Weapons are hot and ready." Ashley reported.

"_Normandy _to ground team. You read me, Chief?" Joker's voice came.

"I read." Chief replied.

"Just thought I should let you know that we're picking up some strange readings from up here." Joker reported. "Really strange. Like, off the damn charts. It looks like it's coming from an underground complex a few clicks away from the drop zone."

"Can you confirm it's our target?" Chief asked.

"Negative. Can't confirm anything. You'll just have to head there and find out." Joker reported. "We just sent the info down to the mako's navigation systems. It should be on your map."

Kaidan checked the map and the highlighted area appeared. "It's three clicks northwest of us. Looks like we'll have to navigate the canyons to get there, though."

Chief nodded. "Alright. Let's go." he said as he slammed his foot on the pedal and the mako blazed forward, much to the surprise of his squad.

Cortana wasn't kidding about this planet having a high amount of volcanic activity, as evidenced by the lake of lava that the mako was currently circling around. The ground and the rocks were a brilliant shade of golden brown and looked like they were polished to a shine, likely a result from the constant heat. Chief wasn't worried though. The mako's armor was designed to withstand heat and the interior was environmentally sealed. They were safe, for now at least.

'For now,' however, didn't last that long. The mako quickly found itself enveloped in a large shadow. "Contacts! Twelve o' clock high!" Ashley shouted before blasting the target with the mako's mass accelerator cannon, followed by a shower from the machine gun. Chief's eyes darted to a screen which fed the images from the cannon's camera, allowing him to see what Ash was seeing. He and Cortana did some additional research on the Geth the previous night, and what they now saw was unmistakable. It was a Geth Dropship.

The dropship dropped two objects in the mako's path before resuming its course. Chief looked ahead to see them. The shapes uncurled themselves, looking like giant, quadropedal creatures of some sort. Their flashlight-heads marked them as Geth. Ashley turned her guns towards the armatures, showering them with bullets and cannon fire. Kaidan couldn't help but notice the fact that Chief wasn't slowing down in the least.

"Er, Chief." the biotic said. "We're going to ram right into them."

"Yup." the spartan replied. Kaidan instantly saw what Chief's intent was.

"Brace yourselves!" the biotic cried over the squad com. Garrus and Wrex held onto their seats while Ashley just kept on firing. Time slowed for Kaidan. He recalled seeing an extranet video of a ground car running over a moose. That was the only thing Kaidan could think to compare this too as the mako caught one of the armatures right in the legs. The Geth walker crumbled across the top of the mako, obscuring Ashley's vision. She wiggled the turret around, hoping the barrel would get the walker off. Ashley's efforts were eventually rewarded as the barrel pushed the armature to the side, the walker falling off and tumbling right into a lake of lava.

Ashley turned towards the other armature and fired the accelerator cannon at it, scoring a direct hit. She never knew if it turned out to be a kill shot though, as the mako sped around the corner of a boulder out of sight.

"Chief, shouldn't we head back and confirm the kill of that other walker?" Ashley asked over squad com.

"We have a VIP to secure, Williams." Chief replied. "Now that we know that Geth are on the planet, we need to get to her position, ASAP."

"Chief, I'm picking up some-"

"Radio chatter." Kaidan interrupted.

"I really wish he'd stop doing that." Cortana said with a sigh.

"Matches known Sangheili Empire encryptions. It's coming from some kind of refinery ahead." Kaidan reported.

"They're probably having some trouble with the Geth." Garrus said. "They might know where we can find Dr. T'soni."

"Roger that." Chief said as the mako continued to speed forward. He hoped that Garrus was right and that the elites did indeed know where Dr. T'soni could be found. He also hoped that they wouldn't be too late.

...

"HEY GETH! HERE'S ONE FOR YOUR MAMA!"

It was the last thing Geth Trooper Platform A21-2835's audio sensors processed before a plasma grenade attached itself to its torso and then detonated, blasting the machine to bits as the blast knocked out the shields of its two compatriots, who both quickly fell to plasma fire.

"Holy crap! I actually got one!" the Unggoy declared in surprise. His shields flickering from Geth return fire snapped him back to reality. He leapt back into cover with an audible 'yipe!'

With plasma rifles in hand, the dozen or so Sangheili warriors fired down on the Geth from atop the wall they erected. It was similar to barricades they had used in the Human-Covenant War, but was painted green instead of purple, as was most of Sangheili equipment these days. It came complete with fin-like sub-walls along the top deck, giving defenders cover against attacking hordes, similar to Covenant Deployable Lookout Towers. The new plasma rifles they carried were like a fusion between the assault rifles of the humans and the Citadel races, and their own plasma rifles and plasma repeaters. It had the bulbous shape, blue paint job, and runes that were inspired by the Forerunner ruins, but there was no gap where the plasma batteries are easily seen; Sangheili engineers dubbed it too great a weakness in the old designs. It looked instead a bit like the pulse rifles the Geth used; a long, oval shape with a hole at the end where the plasma comes out. It had a bar on one side that filled up more the more it fired continuously, a means to indicate how many more shots it can fire before overheating. It also had what Humans would call a 'rifle butt' as well as a more traditional trigger. Sangheili engineers had been exposed to many exciting new technologies and concepts over the last century, and were eager to integrate the design philosophies into their own.

Sangheili were not the only ones fighting. There was no shortage of Unggoy either. They fought alongside their taller brethren as they have for countless cycles, lending their masters support fires with their plasma SMG's, which looked for all the world like plasma pistols shaped like M7 Submachine Guns, a popular sidearm amongst the UNSC during the great war. Some Unggoy held it by both handles, firing at full automatic force, showering the Geth with green oblivion. Others preferred to fire it on a semi-automatic basis, similar to the plasma pistols of old. Finally, on top of two sentry towers, one on each end of the wall, an Unggoy manned Type-52 Direct Energy Support Weapon, whose design had changed little over the last century.

They had been fighting for the better part of a day now and, though the loss of scientists and brothers alike was regrettable, the elites would be lying if they said they were not secretly enjoying this battle. Here they were, Sangheili Warriors, bold and defiant, standing against legions of Geth, soulless machines who knew nothing of honor! Truly, regardless of its outcome, this would be a battle that will be incorporated into their families' war poems for generations to come!

Plasma rounds were kinetic in nature, so they did little more damage to Geth's kinetic barriers than mass accelerator rounds. No matter, the Sangheili thought to themselves. Their skill, not their technology, would decide the battle. Any Geth foolish enough to stand out in the open will have its shields depleted and then will be reduced to a steaming pile of partially melted scrap. They had managed to hold out this long, but the Geth were relentless. They would not stop until everyone, warrior and innocent alike, within the walls of the elites' make-shift fortress was dead. And the pile of weapons, whose plasma batteries were burnt out from over-use, slowly grew larger with each attempted attack by the Geth. The Sangheili knew that, if they did not get help soon, this place would be where they met their ends.

It was then that the M35 Mako turned around the corner and opened fire on the remaining Geth forces. Geth parts flew into the air as the machines found themselves caught between the mako's cannons and the Sangheili's plasma. When the smoke cleared, and the killing ground was littered with fresh bodies, the Sangheili simply stood there, their plasma rifles pointed at the mako. Inside, the Master Chief was fighting the urge to ram the gate full-stop.

"Are you friend?" one of them called. "Or shall your blood be spilled as well?"

"Nice to see they appreciated the help." Cortana quipped.

"This is Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117." Chief said after activating the mako's outer speakers. "I'm with Citadel Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. I need to speak with your superior officer on official council business." There. Now if they start shooting at him, he can plead to self-defense.

One of the Sangheili pressed an elongated finger to the side of his helmet, while the rest lowered their weapons. The Sangheili nodded and looked back to the mako. "Field Master K'tho 'Narzun would have words with you spartan. The controls to this gate are broken, so you must circle around, through that canyon there." he called, pointing towards a passage off to the side. Chief turned the mako in that direction and headed through. The defenses in the passage were considerably lighter then those of the main gate, composed of only one old-fashioned deployable lookout tower on the right side of the passage and a shield wall. The shield wall would block any incoming fire, but wouldn't stop enemy infantry from just marching on through it. Provided of course the enemy infantry could get close enough, likely what the plasma turrets to on the tower and either side of the wall on the ground were for. The Sangheili and Unggoy defenders watched the large vehicle warily as it drove past them.

The mako eventually drove right into and stopped in the middle of a rather grim scene. Kaidan was right; it used to be an old refinery, but the Sangheili had since re-purposed it into a small fortress. There was the main barricade on the wall, which they had just seen, and across from that was another barricade like it. That one elite called these 'gates,' implying they could allow people in and out if they were fully functional. There were a few bulbous structures of some description; likely the Empire's equivalent of the colonial pre-fab shacks used by the Alliance. Unggoy were running back and forth across the yard, repairing various broken pieces of equipment.

The part that invoked pity for them though, were all the wounded that congregated in one corner. Not just Sangheili and Unggoy soldiers, but civilians too. Asari and Salarians mostly, with the occasional Human or two. As he exited the mako, Chief caught a glimpse of a young Human girl, who looked no older than twenty, doing her best to treat a Sangheili warrior's wounds. It was immediately obvious she was no combat medic, but she managed to hold in the contents of her stomach long enough to stem the elite's bleeding, something for which he expressed great gratitude for. Yet another reminder that this was no longer the spartan's century.

As the squad piled out of the mako, Master Chief noticed that all the Sangheili were wearing black armor and all the Unggoy were wearing an unusual mix of grey and purple armor. No doubt about it; they were all Spec. Ops. Which raised the question of what they were doing here. This seemed like a job that would fall under regular colonial defense jurisdiction. Then again, he didn't know that much about Covenant rank structure. One Sangheili dressed in white armor stepped out of one of the bulbous structures and walked towards the spartan. He stopped and saluted him; a pressed fist against his chest.

"Master Chief. You do us all a great honor with your presence here. Congratulations on making spectre." he greeted.

"Field Master 'Narzun, I presume?" Chief asked. The elite nodded. "Give me a situation report."

"Come." 'Narzun said as he guided the spartan and his companions to another structure, this one by the other gate. "Roughly eighteen hours ago, they came. Geth. They swarmed over the science camp like Yanme'e, killing dozens of innocents and fellow warriors. We fell back here, and have been repelling assault after assault since then." the field master explained.

"Science camp?" Kaidan asked.

"We were tasked by the Empire Council of Therum to safeguard a group of scientists who came here to study the nearby Prothean ruins." 'Narzun elaborated.

"You guys are spec. ops., right?" Ashley asked as they entered the structure. It was dimly lit by the various soft blue lights of the screens that showed everything from status of troops to equipment. "Don't you guys have anything better to do than babysit a bunch of archeologists?"

"This part of the Artemis Tau Cluster has a regrettably high amount of brute activity." the elite replied. "The High Council of Therum was fearful that should the brutes attack this planet, and they have done so before, the science team would be slaughtered."

"So they assigned you guys?" Garrus asked. "Therum Council must consider Prothean research pretty important to assign spec. ops. to guard a Prothean science team."

"Indeed they do." came another, more gruff voice. Another Sangheili, slightly shorter than 'Narzun, stepped forward. He wore black like the rest, with white trim on his armor. "The Protheans are similar to the Forerunners...and yet...so different. The Protheans have captivated the more enquiring minds of our race since their discovery. Many of those minds are on the High Council, it would seem."

"Brother Korzat, how goes the repairs?" 'Narzun asked.

"The Unggoy and that one Salarian mechanic are still working on the communications tower, but they fear it may be beyond repair." Korzat, who was apparently 'Narzun's second-in-command, reported.

"Trying to get communications back up?" Chief asked.

"Indeed. Specifically to arrange pickup for what's left of the science team." the Field Master explained. "We warriors can hold out against these autonomous abominations for many nights. The same cannot be said for the innocents, though. Their safety is my greatest concern."

"We have a ship in orbit." Kaidan said. "We could arrange the pickup you guys need."

"Can you?" 'Narzun asked as he turned to the spartan.

"Yup." Chief replied. For once, he found himself fully agreeing with a squidhead. Civilian safety is a high priority. He flipped off his speaker. "Cortana. Link me to _Normandy._"

"Roger that." the AI said. "You're linked up and on the air."

"Joker, this is Master Chief, do you read?"

"Loud and clear." came the snarky pilot's reply.

"Lock onto our current positions and arrange a pick-up there. We've got non-combatants in need of evac." Chief ordered.

"Roger that. On our way." Joker replied before clicking off. Chief turned his helmet's speakers back on.

"You can go tell the civvies that help's on its way." Chief said.

"Thank you, spartan." 'Narzun said as he bowed his head in gratitude. "However...I sense that our rescue was not the 'official council business' of which you spoke."

"No offense, but no." Chief replied matter-of-factly. "I'm looking for a Prothean Researcher. An Asari by the name of Dr. Liara T'soni. I take it she was part of the science team?"

"More than that. She was the one who led it." 'Narzun replied.

"Where is she now?" the spartan grilled.

"She is not here." Korzat threw in. "I'm afraid your mission has been in vain, spartan. When the Geth hit, many among the science team sought refuge in the mines. One of them was Dr. T'soni. We have not seen her since. It is more than likely she is dead."

"I'd like to confirm that for myself." Chief replied. Liara T'soni was a VIP. If there was even a small chance of her still being alive, Chief had to take it. "Where's the science camp?"

"It's further north. We can arrange -"

"N'tho 'Sraom to command! Do you read?" a paniced cry came from an audio speaker. "I'm under heavy - HELLO!" he said just before an explosion.

"Brother N'tho! You're alive!" 'Narzun said as he rushed over to the radio.

"We managed to get short-range communications back online." The Unggoy technician reported.

"Yup! Still alive! Korzat, if you're listening, sorry to disappoint ya!" N'tho cried out in a joking manner as the sound of pulse and plasma fire continued to echo in the background.

"N'tho, you reckless fool!" Korzat fumed as he stomped over to the radio. "What were you thinking, setting out on your own?"

"Well, the thing is - OH WORT!" N'tho was once again interrupted by an explosion, followed by what sounded like plasma fire. "Sorry about that. Geth Grenadier. Lots of them, actually. Kinda why I called. I don't suppose you guys can send backup?"

"N'tho, your nobility in wanting to save those innocents is admirable." 'Narzun said. "But Korzat is right. They are likely beyond saving at this point. What you are doing is foolish!"

"Wait, what's that? Can't hear you. Breaking up! Gotta go!" N'tho quickly replied before the transmission was lost.

"Huh, that's weird." the Unggoy said. "Short-range communication is still working."

"Of course it is..." Korzat steamed.

"Who was that?" Ashley asked.

"N'tho 'Sraom. My youngest and newest warrior. He is not as experienced as my other brothers, but he has great potential." 'Narzun explained.

"Bah!" Korzat said. "He's a disgrace to our species is what he is! Let the Geth take him, I say!" he ranted.

"You don't mean that, Korzat." 'Narzun replied. Chief found this a little odd. He fought alongside elites during the Battle of the Ark, and they all seemed to be fairly close to each other, they way they referred to fellow soldiers as 'brother.' It struck the spartan as unusual that an elite would so openly curse out one of their own.

"Why all the hate for N'tho?" Kaidan asked, apparently sharing Chief's confusion.

"Let me put it to you this way, Human." Korzat began. "Your kind gave ours many names during the Great War. Elite was a common one. It was a name fitting for true warriors." He paused and growled. "N'tho, however, is no Elite. 'Squidhead' is by far a more appropriate term to describe what he is."

"What Korzat is trying to say..." 'Narzun said as he gave his XO a dirty look. "Is that N'tho has...a different way of looking at the universe than most Sangheili. But it does not make him dishonorable or deserving of a less-than-glorious death. All races have their counter-cultures. Ours is no exception. Anyway, Dr. Tsoni lies to the north, where the old science camp was. Hopefully she is still alive. And if you happen upon N'tho, you would do us all a great service by lending him whatever aid you can. It seems he is pursuing the same goal you are." He turned to an Unggoy. "Open the northern gate."

The Unggoy gave the elite a quick salute before setting about the task. A portion of the northern barricade slowly opened up, creating a space just big enough for the mako to slip through.

"Anything else you need, Chief?" 'Narzun asked.

"That'll be all." the spartan replied. He turned to his squad. "Back in the mako. We're moving out."

And with that, the mako left the refinery behind with the promise that the _Normandy _would soon arrive to evacuate any and all survivors. 'Narzun wished the spartan luck, warning him that there may be yet more Geth between the refinery and the science camp. All along the way, 'Narzun's words rang true, as the road was cluttered with Geth infantry and walkers. Thankfully, this wasn't much of a problem to Chief, who decided to apply the golden rule of warthog driving to the mako:

Don't brake for nobody.

This didn't sit too well with the squad, though. Granted, it wasn't so bad when they ran over a trooper, as they were smashed into the ground fairly easily. Running headfirst into a Geth Colossus on the other hand? A somewhat dicier proposition. It didn't help that Chief kept his foot fully pushed against the pedal at all times, making sharp but calculated turns, narrowly missing falling into a lake of lava. Everyone was afraid that if the Geth didn't kill them, Master Chief's driving would.

The mako sped onward, leaving a trail of destroyed geth forces in its wake.

...

"KISS MY NEEDLE-STICK!"

It was the last thing Geth Trooper Platform B42-4954's audio sensors processed before several large purple crystals embedded themselves in its torso. They glowed for a half-second before detonating, blowing out the Geth's internal hardware and scattering metal and plastic pieces everywhere. N'tho Sraom smiled as he ducked back behind cover. He pumped his needler shotgun, ready to give another Geth dumb enough to get too close a face full of explosive crystals.

The elite heard another Geth trooper approaching and popped out of cover to fire at it. Six needles pierced the Geth's armor all at once and then detonated. N'tho couldn't believe how easy this was. You'd think they would have learned after watching a bunch of their guys die to just stay away from the damn squidhead.

Once again, N'tho poked his head out of cover and immediately ducked back down. Half a dozen more Geth were approaching him. But he didn't see anymore behind them. Maybe these guys were the last. If he can clear them out, he'd be home-free.

N'tho took out a plasma grenade and primed it. With a hiss, it began to give off that distinctive blue aura that enemies of the Sangheili Empire had grown to fear. With the elite equivalent of a manic grin, he came out of cover, trusting his shields to protect him, and tossed it straight into the middle of the approaching Geth squad, the grenade adhering itself to one of the troopers. With a whirring beep followed by a crack-like boom, it detonated, killing the Geth it had attached to and three others. The remaining two were knocked onto their feet, and N'tho rushed in for the kill. He took out his ever-trusty 'needle-stick' as he so affectionately called it and used it to finish off the remaining two troopers.

N'tho's grin never left his face as he took a step back to admire his handy-work. But it was only for a moment though as he jogged down the hill, ready for more. If there were any survivors at that camp, N'tho had to help them. He had already let them down once. His personal sense of honor demanded that he could not do it again.

All seemed clear. The canyon passageway opened up into a small clearing. N'tho could see the top of the canyon wall that was lined with fence rails. Geth snipers had used it to keep him pinned earlier, but a good old fashioned beam rifle was enough to take them out. It looked like he was in the clear. He turned towards the ramp that rounded the ring of the clearing and take him up to the science camp...

Only to find a Geth Juggernaut marching toward him.

N'tho couldn't help but wonder how something so big could've sneaked up on him. The juggernaut dropped its rifle, its ammunition apparently having been spent. It was probably one of the guns that had kept him pinned earlier. It was now going to take him in hand-to-hand combat.

"Alright. If that's how you want it." N'tho said as he cast his shotgun aside. "Bring it, tough guy."

Then, part of the juggernaut suddenly exploded. It was about the size of a small grenade explosion and it hit the behemoth right in the side of its torso. It stumbled to the side. Then, it got hit by a biotic warp, followed by a series of precise sniper shots right to the torso. White fluid bleeding from its new holes, the juggernaut's flashlight headlight faded off and it fell to the ground in a heap. Surprise on his face, N'tho looked up the narrow passageway he had just exited from to see his saviors.

"For the record, I could've _totally _taken that guy!" he yelled.

Master Chief lowered his sniper rifle, as did Ashley, Garrus, and Wrex. Taking down the juggernaut was indeed quite simple. Wrex's sniper rifle was equipped with an explosive ammo mod, so he would hit the massive Geth first. Kaidan, who ran up ahead of the group would then hit it with a warp. The juggernaut's shields would've been down by then, so a series of precise sniper shots to the torso would be enough to finish it off. "All clear, Chief." Kaidan reported.

Chief winked green to acknowledge and then trotted down the hill and over to the Elite. As Chief actually had to look up to look the alien in the eye, memories of his first 'friendly' meeting with Arbiter on Earth came flooding back to him; how he put a gun to the Arbiter's head and Johnson had to get Chief to back off. Now that he knew that elites were officially allies of Humanity now, he didn't see any reason why he should hold a gun at this elite's head. Still, something told him he'd be doing it at least once before this day is over.

"Minor N'tho 'Sraom, Spec. Ops. Battalion 42." the elite greeted with a pressed fist.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." Chief replied.

"Holy crap, really?" N'tho blurted out. The spartan could've sworn he heard his voice crack. "You...You're...DUDE! YOU'RE THE FRIKKIN' MASTER CHIEF? Oh, this is TOO cool!"

Chief sighed. He had approached this elite considering that he might be a hostile. Turns out, he was something far worst; a fan.

"What were you doing out here, all alone?" Kaidan asked.

"Huh?" N'tho said as he snaked his head toward the biotic. "Oh, uh, there might still be survivors up by the science camp. I figured I should check and make sure."

"And it couldn't wait until _after _you received reinforcements?" Chief replied.

"They could all be dead by then." N'tho said. "No one else down by the refinery wanted to go. I figured SOMEBODY should." With that, the elite turned and began walking up the ramp. "The science camp is just up this way. Come on."

And so, the squad with their newest member in tow ascended the ramp. They eventually came upon the science camp. There were the expected tents and stands containing various scanning equipment, but it was all scattered across the camp grounds in a mess, likely from the initial Geth attack. The squad also noticed the pipes overhead and the storage tanks to the left, showing that the camp was actually a re-purposed mining facility. Chief read in the official Therum logs that the Prothean ruins were discovered by Unggoy miners while they were digging and Liara T'soni was called in not long afterwards. He then remembered what Joker said earlier; about picking up strange readings coming from an underground facility. The spartan's combat instincts were now on high alert.

Chief pointed to Ashley and Garrus, and then back to himself. With their assault rifles out, the three of them crept forward, the rest of the squad staying behind to cover them. It was then that they heard what sounded like a thump. They turned their rifles up to see the oddest thing; it had the flashlight head of a Geth, but that was all it had in common with most other Geth. It crawled along the underside of the pipe like an insect. Garrus was the first to react. He pulled the trigger and fired a burst at it, but leapt off the pipe to behind a large boulder before the Turian could do any real damage.

However, it turned out the new Geth was the least of their concerns. They soon heard the sound of engines roaring overhead and saw a Geth Dropship. It hovered over the camp and dropped some Geth Troopers on it. They hit the ground like meteorites and then unfolded. They were followed by a very LARGE object that hit the ground as well. The dropship then flew away to leave the half-dozen interlopers to their fate. The large object unfolded and stood upright, revealing itself to be a fully-armed, fully battle-ready Geth Armature.

"Oh _wort._" N'tho swore.

...

**Codex Entry (Weapons, Armor and Equipment): SANGHEILI EMPIRE WEAPONS**

_During the Human-Covenant War, the Sangheili detested human-made weaponry. Records show that when their own weapons ran out of ammunition, many Sangheili soldiers would take UNSC soldiers in head-on hand-to-hand combat, rather than scavenge and use for their own ends the weapons of a heretic race. However, when the prophets' deception was exposed and the Covenant splintered, many Sangheili recognized Humans as worthy allies. Thus, human-made weapons were no longer seen as "dirty" and so Sangheili weapon designers began to incorporate Human weapon design philosophies into their own._

_This resulted in many new Sangheili weapons. One of the most popular is the Type-35 Close Combat Weapon, or 'Needler Shotgun.' This needler model draws inspiration from the M90 Close Assault Weapon System, one of the most widely-used shotguns during the Human-Covenant War. The Type-35 fires six needles at once that detonate 1.7 seconds after impact._

_Another popular new weapon is the Type-26 Directed Energy Submachine Gun, a hybrid between the plasma pistol and the M7/Caseless Submachine Gun. It has both semi-automatic and full automatic firing modes._

_And of course, you have the Type-52 Directed Energy Rifle, a plasma rifle that takes its ques from the assault rifle designs of other races. However, despite the Sangheili's newfound open-mindeness in the field of weapon design, many are still reliant on plasma as ammunition rather than mass accelerator rounds. In addition to cultural and religious reasons, the Sangheili believe that plasma is actually superior to mass accelerator rounds, a topic that is still hotly debated amongst kinetic physicists to this day._

_..._

**Anyone else notice that JUST before the boss fight with the Geth Armature on Therum is a fairly popular cliffhanger point in ME1 fics? Just thought that was kinda funny.**

**Also, ME3 Trailer is on Youtube. Seriously. Go watch it. NOW**


	12. Dr T'soni

Monica Negulesco sighed as she just leaned back in her seat and stared at the glowing orange screen. Sometimes, this job really sucked. Don't get her wrong. She was honored to be a member of the _Normandy's _crew, and was now doubly so with the Master Chief himself as acting captain of the ship. But when he took his combat team down to Therum's surface, he basically left everyone else, including her, behind.

Granted, she was just a comm and navigations specialist with no real combat training outside of basic training, but still...

She leaned back and looked down the long aisle that was the _Normandy's _bridge, all the way down to the CIC. And here she was, just another techie typing away on a little orange screen. Granted, she was in the cockpit with Joker and three other comm specialists. Her job was a bit more glamorous than working in the 'trenches' that flanked either side of the long aisle between the cockpit and the CIC. But that's kind of like saying being an electrician is a bit more glamorous than being a janitor. People still barely notice your existence.

She went back to her screen and got to work. She was to monitor the pressure levels of all volcanoes within a 10 click radius of the drop zone. She sighed as she eyed the planet's surface.

"Bet they're having fun down there." Monica wistfully stated.

...

0848 Hours, February 27th, 2683

Science Camp

Surface of Therum

Knossos System, Artemis Tau Cluster

...

"WE ARE NOT HAVING FUN DOWN HERE!" N'tho yelled at the top of his lungs as his meager cover endured yet another pulse blast from the armature. He, along with Ashley, Wrex and Garrus, were hiding behind a crate. The four of them would pop out of cover and unleash hot mass accelerator rounds on the armature in between pulse shots, but nothing they did seemed to so much as damage it. Then again, damaging it wasn't really their job. Their job was to draw its fire while Chief and Kaidan did the real work.

The plan was that Kaidan would use his tech skills to disable the armature's shields and then Chief would open fire until the armature's shields recharged. Kaidan would then disable them again. Lather, rinse, repeat. However, the addition of Geth infantry, the hoppers in particular, were complicating things.

The troopers were fairly simple to deal with under normal circumstances. They were your standard rank and file infantry; they see an enemy, they shoot it. Nothing fancy about them. The hopper, however, was unlike anything the squad had ever encountered before. It wreaked havoc on the team's tech by constantly firing off EMP blasts that shorted out weapons and shields. The laser it shoots from its eye certainly doesn't help matters. Worst of all, it was jamming their motion trackers. The Chief had to deal with radar jammers multiple times throughout the Human-Covenant war, but it was just a little metal ball that can easily be smashed. This time, the radar jammer was an annoying little pest that hopped in every which way around the squad, making itself very hard to hit. This, to say the least, annoyed Chief greatly.

It seemed that, at that moment, the gods of war looked down on the spartan and took pity on his predicament, and decided to present him with an opportunity to remedy it. The hopper continued to leap from one end of the battlefield to the other, mocking the organics and their pitiful attempts to hit it. It landed on top of the crate that Chief and Kaidan were using as cover, with the intention of shooting them with a quick laser before hopping to another spot. It peeked its head over the edge and took a pot shot at the spartan. His shields were already down, but his armor was thick and did an admirable job of repelling such blasts, muck like it did with plasma in the great war. The hopper leapt away.

Or rather, it tried to.

Thanks to superconducting fibrification of his neural dendrites, Master Chief's reflexes were roughly 300% quicker than that of most humans. The hopper was apparently unaware of this. In fact, as the spartan's hand grabbed the hopper's ankle in mid-leap, its logic processors and internal organic capability database were all scrambling to determine how and why this human's reflexes were approximately 294.42% faster than most humans'. It was the Geth equivalent of yelping out "How in God's name did you do that?"

Chief looked on as the hopper's limbs were frantically grabbing at the soil, trying to gain traction in an attempt to get away. Not likely. The spartan's hand was essentially a bear trap around the hopper's ankle, and appropriately enough, it looked just like an animal trying to get out of it. Kaidan didn't need orders from the spartan to pour some shots into the Geth hopper's torso. With the hopper dead, the squad breathed a sigh of relief once their motion trackers cleared up.

Meanwhile, N'tho had separated from Ashley, Wrex and Garrus and was crouching low behind a small crate. His long neck craned over the edge of the crate ever so slowly. While the hopper had been dealt with, the armature was still the biggest problem right now. It was firing on the positions of the other two groups and seemed oblivious to what the Sangheili was planning. Good. He took out a plasma grenade and held it in his hands, one of his thumbs caressing the activation rune, waiting for the right moment.

The armature continued to fire pulse blast after pulse blast at the rest of the squad. N'tho grinned. It didn't even know the squidhead was right next to it. He leapt up on to the crate and primed the grenade.

"SUCK ON THIS!" he yelled as he threw the grenade. It sailed through the air like a beautiful blue comet and adhered itself right to the armature's head. With a crack and a boom, the armature's entire head exploded in a shower of plasma, sparks and roasted circuitry. Not only was it now blind, but the pulse cannon on its head was heavily damaged as well, rendering it useless.

N'tho rushed in, aiming to finish off the armature himself. He took out his plasma SMG and set it to full auto, taking out any Geth trooper that got in his way. As the armature staggered about like a drunk, the elite took out another plasma grenade, his last one. He ran underneath the armature and then took out his needler shotgun and fired a quick burst of pink death into the belly of the mechanical monstrosity. When the needles detonated, they created a nice little hole that exposed the Geth walker's inner workings. He primed the grenade and tossed it up into the armature's insides, and then he made a mad dash back to the crate he was hiding behind a moment ago.

The belly of the armature blew out, angry plasma and fire bursting out of its belly like an alien life form from one of those archaic Human films. The armature then slumped into a heap, lifeless and no longer capable of threatening the organics. Without even waiting for his shields to recharge, which were already at only a quarter strength, N'tho rushed back in. He leapt to the top of the armature's corpse to gain higher ground on the two remaining Geth troopers, which fell quickly to his plasma repeater.

When the last Geth fell, N'tho looked like a great white hunter, triumphantly standing atop the corpse of his kill. "YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" he cried out in a war that would make his warrior ancestors' hearts swell with pride. "I'M THE MAN! I _AM _THE MAN!"

"Not bad." Garrus commented as the rest of the squad came out of cover to survey the damage. "We still recruiting?"

Chief gave the Turian no verbal response. He simply gave the hand gesture for everyone to follow him and he then led his squad into the mines. N'tho took notice, and followed them.

...

"Interesting." Cortana commented as Chief took out another patrolling Geth with his shotgun. "These ruins have been here for so long, that the cave has actually formed _around _them."

Indeed, Cortana was correct. Therum's signature shiny brown rock seemed to melt and form around the Prothean ruins. However, much of the rock showed evidence of being oh-so-delicately chipped at, likely with a laser chisel. That, combined with the complex series of catwalks and elevators, showed that while this excavation was massive in scale, the digging itself was done gently, most likely out of the fear that anything more powerful than a small chisel laser would've severely damaged a priceless ancient artifact.

"Hello?" N'tho said aloud. "Any survivors down here?"

Ashley gave the elite a quick dopeslap to the side of his head. "Ow! What did I do?" he yelped.

"Shut it!" Ashley harshly whispered. She gestured to the Geth that just fell to Chief's shotgun. "We have a confirmed hostile presence down here. We do NOT want them to hear us."

"Hello?" came a distinctively female voice off in the distance. "Can anyone hear me?"

"Oh great." Wrex commented. "Now the Geth are gonna hear her and kill her too."

Chief was off before the Krogan could even finish his last sentence. He ran to the end of the catwalk, which ended at the face of what looked like a Prothean skyscraper, or at least that's what it reminded the Chief of with its series of 'windows' leading to bathroom tile rooms going up and down. Chief turned and saw a grav-lift elevator; a reminder that it was the Sangheili who funded this excavation. The rest of the squad managed to catch up with the Chief, something that he noted that they were getting somewhat better at. They all boarded the elevator and N'tho hit the switch, which took them down.

They soon hit the second to last level, the floor of the cave itself being just below them. They all walked up to a rather odd sight. Before them was a forcefield. Nothing strange about that, but it was the floating Asari in what looked like a bubble that caught their attention.

"Can you hear me out there?" she cried out. "I'm trapped! I need help!"

Chief put a finger to where his lips would be. The Asari nodded, knowing what he meant. "Liara T'soni?" the spartan asked.

"Yes, and thank the Goddess you're here. I did not think anyone would come looking for me." the scientist answered. "Listen; this thing I'm in is a Prothean security device. I can not move, so I need you to get me out of it, alright?"

"How'd you get in there to begin with?" Ashley asked.

"When the Geth attacked, I hid in here." Liara answered plainly. "Can you believe that? Geth beyond the veil!"

"Yeah. We can believe that." Kaidan replied.

"Anyway, I activated this barrier curtain, knowing it would protect me. But when I turned it on, I must've hit something I wasn't supposed to. I'm trapped in here! You must get me out, please!"

"Alright, calm down." Chief said in his best assuring tone. Last thing any military operation needs is a panicky civvie, especially if the panicky civvie in question is also the VIP. "You're the expert on Prothean technology here. Do you know how I can deactivate this device?"

"There is a control in here that should deactivate this thing." she elaborated. "You'll have to find some way past the barrier curtain. That's the tricky part. The defenses can not be shut off from the outside. I don't know how you'll get in here. And be careful. There is a Krogan with the Geth. They've been trying different ways to get past the barrier."

N'tho then paused, and looked at Wrex. Wrex looked back. "She's not talking about me, you idiot." he grunted.

N'tho then looked to Liara. "Did anyone else from the science team make it?"

The Asari scientist paused, then looked down out of dejection. "I'm...not sure. Though it seems unlikely. As far as I know...I'm the only survivor."

N'tho paused, then hung his own head low in dejection. Chief then took notice of something. It was the all-too-distinct sound of feet marching in chorus. And by now, the spartan had learned to recognize that particular footfall. He looked over the side of the catwalk and saw at least a few dozen Geth, including a couple of juggernauts, marching across the cave floor towards their position.

"Cover me!" Chief yelled as he leapt off the catwalk and dived right into the sea of synthetic abominations.

The spartan tossed a grenade at a squad of Geth Troopers as he charged at them. By the time the grenade detonated, he was already upon them. The ones that weren't dead were now without their shields. He struck one with the butt of his rifle and then poured bullets into another Geth's chest. He turned to another Geth and fired a burst right into its flashlight head. Not a lethal shot for a Geth, but since the machine is rendered effectively blind, it might as well be.

Noticing his shields were draining from the incoming fire of the other Geth squads, Chief took off again like a cheetah and leapt into cover behind a small boulder. As he waited for his shields to recharge and his assault rifle to cool, he took out his pistol and did some blind fire with it, sticking only his gun arm out of cover. He had already committed the Geth's current position to memory and had a reasonably good idea of where to point his gun. Though he wouldn't be able to target specific troopers, he was fairly confidant that he was hitting something he was supposed to. He looked up and saw the rest of his squad firing down on the Geths' position, their assault rifles blazing. While all that covering fire helped to whittle down their shields, the Geth were more or less ignoring them, focusing their attention on their greatest threat at that moment; the SPARTAN-II that just killed a half-dozen of their troopers in under six seconds.

It was then that Chief heard a distinct stomping noise. He turned and saw that a Geth juggernaut had successfully flanked him from the side, and was now closing in on the spartan's position as it raised its weapon. Not for the first time in the middle of a firefight, Master Chief came up with a tactic that was unorthodox by spartan standards; which meant it was downright suicidal by most soldiers' standards. He took off running headlong toward the juggernaut, instinctively keeping his head down as the Geth Troopers fired at him.

When he finally came face-to-flashlight with the juggernaut, seconds before the mechanical monstrosity was about to pull the trigger, Chief pressed the muzzle of his assault rifle against the juggernaut's torso and pulled the trigger. The barrel of the gun was too close for kinetic barriers to be effective, and the juggernaut went limp after a couple of seconds of having its internal hard drive riddled with bullets. It fell forward...

...Right into Chief's hands. He had a firm grip on the android's body; one hand gripped the collar of the thick metal casing that protected the torso, while the other hand gripped the Geth's 'crotch' area. He held the body horizontally and held it in front of the rest of the Geth Troopers. He was using it as a shield.

Unfortunately, when Chief came up with this crazy plan, he underestimated the juggernaut's weight. A SPARTAN-II's strength can be ridiculously powerful, but only for short periods of time. Already Chief could feel beads of sweat form on his forehead and his arms aching from holding the dead robot up. He had to press this advantage now while he could. While still holding the huge robot horizontally, he entered into a light jog forward. His vision blocked, he was being guided solely by his motion detector now, and it did indeed show him heading towards multiple red dots. He jogged ever faster and eventually went into a full on run.

With a crash, Chief used the juggernaut's limp body as a battering ram, slamming a half-dozen more Geth against the wall, shattering their chassises so that they too went limp along with their oversized brother. Chief dropped the body and flung another grenade into the crowd of machines and then took off running, drawing out and firing his assault rifle as he ran circles around them like a taunting child on a playground.

He leapt behind a boulder, but only long enough for his shields to recharge. By now, Chief knew the best way to fight Geth. They're machines, and like any other machines, they like to do things in a routine and orderly fashion. Chief was the monkey wrench in the Geth's works. His mind can come up with tactics that a Geth's mind couldn't even fathom. He had to take advantage of that. He leapt out from the boulder once his shields had recharged and flung yet another grenade into the crowd. He ran in rifle blazing as the grenade detonated, knowing that the Geth wouldn't suspect such a suicidal tactic from an organic.

He did the old 'Charge n' Barge' on one Geth. He turned towards another and fired one last quick burst from his assault rifle into the Geth's chest; point blank. It didn't kill the robot, but it did make a hole in its torso big enough for the Chief to squeeze his fingers through. Using the hole as a pseudo-hande, Chief swung the helpless Geth around like a club, knocking its brethren off their feet. Chief straightened his fingers, allowing the Geth fly free of the spartan's grip in one last great swing, right into three other Geth.

Chief tossed aside his rifle and whipped out his shotgun. The rest of the flight was a blur. Chief fired his shotgun. He smashed the heads of Geth to pieces with the butt of it. He grabbed a Geth and used it as a metal shield while his kinetic barriers recharged before resuming the fight. It was as though Leonidas himself was reincarnated and then he traded in his sword for a Viper MK III. By the time the last Geth fell, Chief found himself surrounded by dead machines. He looked up to the rest of his squad. They still held their rifles ready, but the looks on their faces were plain to see.

"Wow..." muttered Kaidan.

"Holy crap..." muttered Ashley.

"Holy wort..." muttered N'tho.

"By the Goddess..." muttered Liara.

"By the Spirits..." muttered Garrus

"Not too bad I guess." stated Wrex.

Chief looked at his squad some more. The only one who did anything was Wrex, who leapt down from the balcony and casually walked past the spartan. "I'll go see if I can't find a way around that barrier." he said. Chief watched the Krogan look around the various rocks as he looked back up to the rest of the squad who continued to stand there.

"Wrex could use some help down here." Chief said. "Now."

They all but scrambled off the catwalk at the uttering of 'now.' Chief sighed and shook his head.

...

Sangheili are commonly thought of as the plasma gurus of the galaxy. While plasma does make up a large part of Sangheili technology, they are well aware of the value of lasers as well. This became evident to the Chief as he saw the massive mining laser cut a hole into the rock. "That's enough." Chief said into his team COM. Kaidan gave a green wink in acknowledgement before deactivating the drill.

What was uncovered was a room, virtually identical to the room that Liara was currently suspended in. The SPARTAN-II led his misfit squad inside. At the back of the room was a large, circular platform with a console in the middle of it. He approached it as the rest of the squad spread out around the perimeter of the platform.

"Looks like an elevator." Cortana commented. "See if it goes up."

Chief pressed a holographic button that vaguely resembled an arrow pointing upwards. Sure enough, the platform lurched as it ascended two levels before stopping on Liara's floor. There, right by the energy bubble the poor Asari scientist was trapped in, was another console. That was the console that would set the VIP free. Or at least, Chief hoped so.

"How...how did you get in here?" Liara asked as she tried to turn her head to the spartan, but could only show him the side of her head. "I didn't think there was any way past the barrier."

"Mining laser." Chief answered matter-of-factly as he approached the console.

"Yes. Of course. That makes sense. Please, get me out of here before more Geth arrive." Liara urged. Chief sighed. The Asari's panicky demeanor was starting to get on the spartan's nerves. The console's green holographic screen lit up to show all the options. Chief turned off his speakers.

"Little help here, Cortana?" he asked, unable to make sense of the screen.

Cortana sighed before highlighting all the buttons Chief was supposed to push in Chief's HUD. She's done this several times before whenever they encountered Forerunner ruins and hijacked the occasional Covenant ship. As Chief started pressing buttons, Ashley's voice came crackling over a private COM, unheard by the other squad members.

"Are you _sure _we can trust her, Chief?" she whispered, as though the secure connection didn't convince her of their privacy. "This IS Benezia's daughter we're talking about. She might be Saren's accomplice, like her mother is."

"I don't think Saren would send an entire army of Geth to attack an elite colony just to say hello to one of his accomplices, Williams." Chief replied. "We have our orders. Liara T'soni is to be protected at all costs. We clear on that?"

"Yes sir." Ashley replied, having been reminded of her place in the chain of command. At long last, Chief pressed the last button and the bubble disappeared. Liara dropped to the ground on her hands and knees. Chief turned around to watch her get up and dust off her arms.

Now that Chief could get a better look at her, he saw that Liara had a very young-looking face with thin eyebrows, calm blue skin, and dark blue freckles on her face. Most likely, she was an adolescent among her kind. That, combined with her supposed expertise on Protheans, would imply that she's something of a child prodigy. She turned and looked at the chief. "Thank you." she said.

"Don't mention it." Chief replied.

"So how do we get out of here?" Garrus asked.

"There is an elevator back in the center of the tower." Liara explained. She paused. "At least...I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here. Come on." With that, she briskly walked over to the elevator, obviously eager to get out of these ruins.

The squad got back onto the platform, now with their VIP in tow. The mission was now two-thirds done. They went in. They grabbed the VIP. And now they have to get out. Unfortunately, it's always the third part of a rescue mission that's the hardest. As the elevator slowly ascended, Liara shook her head and held a palm against her forehead. "I still can not believe this. Why would the Geth attack Therum?"

None of the Chief's internal lie detectors were going off. Either Liara really is just an unwitting pawn in Saren and Benezia's game of chess, or she's a damn good liar. So far, she doesn't even seem to know that her mother is currently an accomplice to a rogue spectre. Chief decided not to mention that until later. Need to know basis and all that. Although, there was one question that he probably should ask while he waits for the elevator to take them back to the surface.

"This may sound off-topic but...have you ever heard of something called 'the conduit' in your research?" the spartan asked.

"The conduit?" the Asari asked. "I don't know-"

Her sentence was cut off by a massive rumbling. The whole room shook for a second. "What the hell was that?" Ashley yelped.

"These ruins are not stable." Liara explained. "That mining laser must've triggered a volcanic eruption."

"Wait, volcanic eruption?" Garrus asked. "You mean, we've been in a _volcano _this entire time?"

"Yes. You didn't know?" Liara asked.

There was a long, awkward pause. Then, the entire squad looked at N'tho. The Sangheili giggled nervously. "Yeah...the ruins here are in a once-dormant, now not-so-dormant volcano. Probably should've mentioned that earlier. My bad."

"...If I die in here, I'll kill you." Wrex growled at N'tho.

Without even needing to be asked, Cortana already linked Chief to the _Normandy. _"Joker. This is Spartan-117. You read?"

"Loud and clear, Chief." Joker replied. "We just picked up the civvies and the Sangheili Spec. Ops personnel."

"Good. Now lock on to _our _coordinates because now _we _need evac. ASAP." Chief ordered.

"Aye aye Chief. Secure and away. ETA 2 minutes." Joker acknowledged before signing off.

"It's gonna be tight..." Garrus commented in a worried tone.

"Everyone relax." Chief said, hoping to calm his anxious squad. "The elevator's going up and we'll be out of here soon. There won't be any more complications from here on."

No sooner did the words leave the spartan's mouth did the elevator stop on the top floor. The squad was greeted by a squad of four Geth shock troopers, and a black-crested Krogan standing in the middle with two troopers flanking each side. The Geth pointed their guns at the group while the Krogan smiled triumphantly. Needless to say, this was a complication.

"Surrender." the Krogan ordered. "Or don't. That would be more fun."

"You and your big mouth." Cortana scolded her spartan.

"Thanks for getting rid of those energy fie-"

The Krogan never got to finish his sentence as the SPARTAN-II charged him head-on. The Geth immediately reacted and began firing on the Chief. However, this left them vulnerable to the rest of the squad. Within seconds, the two squads of organics and synthetics were locked in a firefight on the platform.

...

Meanwhile, the Chief and the Krogan had begun a deathmatch of their own. The Chief had tackled the reptillian alien onto a catwalk on a lower level and now the two were locked in a heated close-quarters combat duel.

After he got up, the Krogan pushed the spartan away with a biotic push. This caught the Chief off guard; he wasn't expecting this Krogan to be a biotic, nor had he gone up against biotics in a fight yet. He was quick to recover though, and began firing at the Krogan with his assault rifle in a prone position. The alien activated a biotic barrier and stalked towards the spartan with a bloodthirsty grin on his face, giving the bullets bouncing harmlessly off his barrier little to no heed.

At once, the spartan's mind kicked into an analytical overdrive. Krogan soldiers enjoy two advantages few other species in the galaxy have; endurance and strength, and they use both to deadly effect in combat. An injury that would be fatal for a Human would be merely a setback for a Krogan. Their raw physical strength is easily on par with that of a SPARTAN-II. And of course, their reputation for being ruthless savages is rivaled only by the similar reputation of the brutes. Krogan were among the finest warrior species in the galaxy and they knew it. And just like that, the Chief realized the one weakness of all Krogan.

Overconfidence. This Krogan probably isn't used to opponents that can effectively fight back. He's not used to fighting spartans.

Chief continued to hold down the trigger on full auto. The Krogan stamped forward, knowing his victory was assured. The rifle overheated and could give no more. Chief looked down at his rifle and then back up at the Krogan, trying to look as helpless as possible to allow the Krogan to think that he still had the edge. The Krogan smiled at him for a second and took a swing at the spartan's head with a balled up fist.

Spartan time kicked in.

Chief caught the fist with one hand and as he rose to his feet, dealt a crushing uppercut with the other hand right to the alien's chin. Chief identified that the forehead was too thick for a blow there to be much effect, but a blow to that fat throat might do the trick. Chief released the Krogan's fist and then hit the Krogan's throat with the same hand. He then noticed the Krogan's arm glowing blue. He was getting ready for a biotic counter attack.

Chief didn't remember much about what Cortana told him about biotics. He was fuzzy on the details, but he did recall that it had something to do with the nervous system. He then deduced that a few critical blows to the Krogan's nervous system might be enough to forestall a biotic strike. He then hit the Krogan's arm and torso with four tactically placed punches, all intended to target key nerve centers and disable his arm.

Unfortunately, the Krogan seemed unphased by this as, with a snarl, he struck out at the spartan with a biotic push, sending him flying towards the wall at the end of the catwalk. It was in that moment that Chief realized that when Cortana told him about Krogan tactics, she mentioned that Krogan had _redundant _nervous systems, so targeted nerve strikes wouldn't be very effective on them. No doubt that Cortana will give Chief grief over this and lecture him on the importance of doing one's homework once they were all back on the _Normandy_.

Chief was slammed against the wall and, much to his alarm, found that he was unable to move. He realized that he was trapped in a biotic stasis, an attack that rendered the target immobile by freezing them in a mass effect field. The Krogan spit some orange blood out of his mouth and cracked his neck a bit before walking up to the spartan.

"Been a while since I was hit THAT hard." The Krogan said in a congratulatory tone. He then pointed his shotgun right at the Chief's head. "It was a good fight. Shame it had to end so quick."

A biotic warp then hit the Krogan, making him snarl in pain and stumble towards the edge of the catwalk, almost making him stumble over the edge. At first, Chief thought it was Kaidan or maybe even Wrex coming to the spartan's rescue. He shifted his eyes around to find them. What he did find took him by surprise.

There, on a separate catwalk about five yards away, stood Liara T'soni, her hands still glowing after her biotic warp. The rest of the squad was busy carving a path through the Geth that were now pouring in onto the catwalks. Another tremor hit, and everyone struggled to remain upright. Everyone except Liara, that is, as she remained focused on the Krogan. With burning determination in her eyes, she biotically lifted three large boulders the size of washing machines and tossed them at the Krogan. One missed, one hit his shoulder, and the third hit his chest dead on, making him stumble back further.

The Krogan snarled as he pointed his shotgun at the Asari scientist and opened fire. Liara countered with a biotic bubbble; one that not only covered herself, but also the rest of the squad. The squad fell back, closer to Liara as they continued to unleash heavy fire on the Geth, the biotic bubble giving their shields a much-needed chance to recharge.

The Krogan snarled again, becoming increasingly frustrated with the archaeologist. He fished a grenade from his belt. "Damn Asari's more trouble than she's worth..." he growled. The bubble might've been enough to shrug off gunfire, but a grenade blast was a dicier proposition. Luckily, it was at this point that the biotic stasis that held the spartan in place wore off, something the Krogan was as-of-yet not aware of. Chief pressed the advantage.

He rushed up to the Krogan as spartan time kicked in again. No sooner did the Krogan prime the grenade did Chief snatch it from his hand and wedge it just under the shoulder pad of the alien's armor. Chief turned on his heel and ran a safe distance.

*BOOM!*

His unique physiology was the only reason the Krogan's arm was still attached, though just barely as the orange blood and ichor gushing from the wound can attest to. The Krogan howled in pain and hatred and charged at the Chief, bloody vengeance in his eyes.

SPARTAN-II's were educated in various forms of hand-to-hand combat during their training, and Chief was no exception. One important lesson he learned was, when you're up against a physically strong opponent, out-muscleing him is rarely the way to go. Using your opponent's own strength _against_ them is usually the smarter tactic. Keeping that combat philosophy in mind, Chief sidestepped the charging Krogan and then pushed him on the shoulder, altering his charge route. By the time the Krogan realized the trick the Chief just pulled on him, his momentum was too great to stop himself. He ended up charging right off the side of the catwalk and fell down onto the cave floor below.

By this time, the squad had completely cleared the catwalk in front of them of Geth and began to run towards the exit. They were running because the tremors were getting worse and now large chunks of rock were falling from the ceiling. Chief leapt from his catwalk onto the squad's and used his blessed spartan speed to catch up with them. He eventually did, running a bit past Liara who was trailing behind, but was staying just close enough to her to keep an eye on her.

It was a tactic that payed off when a huge rock came down on the catwalk behind them. Before she even realized what was going on, the floor beneath Liara's feet was gone and she fell a ways. Then, something tight but firm grabbed her by the wrist and hefted her up, and then carried her the rest of the way with the same break-neck speed it was running with before. It took Liara another few seconds to realize that it was the Chief who saved her and was now carrying her out.

The squad eventually made their way up the shaft and back out into the science camp, just as a billow of hot smoke reached out behind them, as if cursing them for getting away. As he stopped to catch his breath, Kaidan turned to the Chief. He couldn't help but smirk.

Decked out in the iconic SPARTAN-II armor and carrying a beautiful Asari maiden bridal style, Chief looked for all the universe like a superhero.

"You okay?" Chief asked as he let the Asari scientist down. Liara shook a bit, but was able to stand up on her own.

"Yes. Thank you." Liara replied.

"Don't mention it." Chief said. He and the rest of the squad looked up and saw that the _Normandy _had been there since they first emerged and was now lowering itself closer to the ground. The cargo bay doors, which lead into the garage, opened up and several _Normandy _servicemen and Sangheili spec. ops hopped out to help secure the area. With the VIP in safe custody, Chief gave the signal for all units to withdraw back into the ship and move out. Now that the area was volcanically active, they had to get out, ASAP.

A point that came across rather nicely as the ship attempted takeoff. A hilltop exploded with angry sulfur that just missed hitting the _Normandy's _hull. Joker swore as he swerved the ship out of the way. He leveled out and resumed course for Beacon of Discovery as the eruption continued behind them, lava gushing out of every hill and coating the land in fire.

...

Beacon of Discovery was the name of the Sangheili port on Therum, named so because colonization rights to the Artemis Tau cluster were only recently acquired by the Sangheili Empire, within the last twenty years or so. So while the cluster is considered to be Empire space, much of it remains unexplored. The elites remain hopeful that the cluster's vast, untapped resources will bring further prosperity to their people. The area's close proximity to the Terminus Systems concerned them little. After all, Sangheili fear nothing.

The _Normandy _slowly sailed above the port town, which boasted several tall skyscrapers, shining green that reached up to the heavens; a popular staple of Sangheili architecture. The ship eventually found a docking bay to make birth in. A series of powerful grav-lifts all around the dock kept the ship in place. The cargo doors opened, and the Sangheili spec. ops. that had hitched a ride about the Alliance frigate escorted the survivors from the science team off the ship and into the custody of Beacon of Discovery's Colonial Defense Force. They would then be treated for injuries and given physical exams to make sure that all is well.

Hurogok, still maintaining the niche' they occupied in the Covenant of old, floated up to the _Normandy _to inspect any wounds she might have recently suffered. Of particular note were the scorch marks from that near-miss at the science camp. Several Hurogok floated around the patch of black soot, looking fascinated by it.

This did not sit well with the ship's pilot.

"Hey! HEY!" Joker's voice came booming over the ship's outer speakers. "GET AWAY FROM MY BABY YOU VULTURES!" The Hurogok barely even acknowledged the screaming voice as they set to work cleaning the soot off.

"Peace, Helmsman." came a dock operator's voice over the _Normandy's _intercom. "The Hurogok mean your ship no harm. Quite the opposite, in fact. They wish to clean, repair, and refuel it. We have trusted the well-being of our ships to them for many cycles, and they haven't failed us yet. You are in good hands."

Joker grimaced as he adjusted his seat in the cockpit, not all that assured by the elite's words. "Fine." he sourly replied. "But they scratch the paint, and my foot is going up someone's ass."

Joker severed the connection with that final threat. He didn't like Hurogok, and he didn't care how good mechanics or engineers they were. He saw how they handled ships. How they probed and fondled ships with their tentacles like Hanar porn stars. Well, Joker had news for the Hurogok. The _Normandy _is NOT a Japanese schoolgirl needing to be pleasured. She's got more dignity than that, damn it.

Chief and the others were in the communications room, debriefing most likely. Joker decided to hail them. Chief will want a status report. And he needs reminding of who almost got the _Normandy _fried to begin with by asking for pickup right next to an _erupting volcano._

...

"Chief, just wanted to let you know we're docked in Beacon of Discovery. Refueling and repairs are underway." Joker's voice reported. "Oh, by the way? That was WAY too close. Ten more seconds, and we would've been swimming in molten sulphur. The _Normandy _wasn't designed to land in _exploding volcanoes. _They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference."

"We almost died out there, and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara incredulously asked.

"Yeah well, I guess that's why we call him Joker." Chief replied with a shrug.

"I see." she said with a nod. "It must be a Human thing."

The squad had gathered in the communications room, which also doubled as a conference room for briefing and debriefing missions, as the eight chairs of the room; four on each side, implied. Garrus, Wrex and now Liara sat on one side. Kaidan and Ashley sat on the other.

"I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Chief." Liara confessed. "But I am grateful to you. You saved my life back there, and not just from the volcano. Those Geth would've killed me."

"What did the Geth want with you?" Kaidan asked. "Do you know something about the conduit?"

"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my REAL area of expertise. I have spent the last fifty years of my life trying to find out what happened to them."

"Fifty?" Ashley asked. "How old are you exactly?"

Liara looked downwards, as though out of shame. "I...I hate to admit this." she replied. "But I am only 106."

"Damn!" Ashely quickly blurted out. "I hope I look that good when I'm your age."

"A century may seem like a long time to a short-lived species like yours. But among the Asari, I am barely considered more than a child. That is why my research has not received the attention it deserves. Because of my youth, other Asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the Protheans." Liara explained.

"Those theories being?" Chief asked.

"Well, when the Protheans vanished, they left remarkably little evidence behind. Almost...too little." Liara began. "This may sound crazy, but it is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues. But here is the incredible part. According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."

"What made you think that? I thought there wasn't any evidence." Chief pointed out. He was more than a little skeptical about the archaeologist's theory.

"I have been working on this for fifty years." Liara emphasized. "I have tracked down every scrap and shred of evidence. Eventually, subtle patterns start to emerge. Patterns that hint at the truth. It is difficult to explain to someone else. I can not point to one specific thing to prove my case. It is more a feeling derived from a half-century of dedicated research. But I know I'm right. And eventually, I will be able to prove it. There were other civilizations before the Protheans. This cycle has repeated itself many times over."

"What exactly is this cycle you keep going on about?" Chief grilled further.

"The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive. The Protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet even they climbed to the top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements; the mass relays and the Ctiadel, are based on the technology of those who came before them. And then, like all the other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why."

"There's one thing your theories don't seem to take into account, Doctor." Chief pointed out. "The Forerunners. We Humans know for a fact that they were wiped out by the Flood. Are you saying the Flood wiped out all these civilizations too?"

"No." Liara replied. "I have studied the Forerunners and the Flood intensely after the 314 races were introduced to the rest of the galaxy. The evidence I've found suggests that this cycle takes place roughly once every fifty thousand years. The Flood seem too chaotic and disorganized for that kind of punctuality. And I know what you're suggesting Chief. My opponents too tried to use the Forerunners to disprove my theories. But I believe the Forerunners only further support my claims."

"How?" Chief asked.

"The Forerunner Cluster is the only place in the entire galaxy where Forerunner ruins are found." Liara pointed out. "But I think it's obvious that at the height of their power, the Forerunners' civilization spanned the entire galaxy, much like the Protheans. Whatever wiped the galaxy of clues to the Protheans' existence must've done the same thing to all the Forerunner ruins after the Flood wiped them out. Why the Forerunner Cluster was spared, I cannot say. But I assure you, the Forerunners DO fit into the cycle. Their technology and architecture take inspiration from several other civilizations that came before them."

"So..." Ashley began. "If the Flood isn't behind this cycle, what is?"

"I cannot say." Liara admitted.

"I think you might know the answer to that one, Chief." Cortana said. Chief sighed, knowing what Cortana was suggesting. She wasn't the only one, as the rest of the squad (save Liara) were giving the spartan expectant looks. The idea might be crazy, but at the very least, a Prothean Archaeologist could confirm it.

"Dr. T'soni...have you ever heard of the Reapers?" Chief asked.

Liara looked confused. "Reapers? What do you mean?"

"According to a recently scavenged Geth memory core, the Reapers are sentient machines that wiped out the Protheans. The Geth view them as gods, and they think that something called the conduit is the key to bringing them back. We think it's some kind of Prothean super weapon." Chief said.

"A rogue spectre by the name of Saren Arterius is leading the Geth in their search for the conduit." Kaidan further elaborated. "Our mission is to find it before he does. He must've sent the Geth after you, thinking you might know where to find it."

"I see." Liara replied. "Unfortunately, I do not have any information that could help you find the conduit. As for the Reapers, they sound like a fallacy invented by Saren to rally the Geth."

"That's what I thought." Chief replied. "But there was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime, a Human colony world that was recently attacked by Saren and his Geth. It burned a vision into my brain. It was about machines, I assume the Reapers, killing organics, I assume the Protheans. I'm still trying to sort it out."

Chief expected, even hoped, that the scientist would agree with him, that the Reapers were most likely just a myth and the vision didn't really mean anything. He expected it as it was the most likely scenario. He hoped it as it would rule out the worst-case scenario.

"Visons? Yes...that does make sense." Liara said with a nod. "The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. No wonder Saren attacked Eden Prime. The chance to acquire a working beacon, even a badly damaged one, is worth almost any risk."

Chief was taken aback by that. "So...you're saying the beacon was _supposed _to give me visions? Visions that were most likely true?"

"Precisely." Liara said with another nod.

Chief sighed. He was lucky, but evidently not _that _lucky.

"But the beacons were programmed to interact with Prothean physiology. Whatever information you received would have been confused; unclear." the Asari went on. "I am amazed you were able to make sense of it at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong-willed, Chief."

"Well, he _is _a spartan." Ashley pointed out. "He wouldn't be a very good one if he was weak-willed, now would he?"

"So, you don't really know anything about the conduit?" Kaidan asked to clarify.

"No. I know it has something to do with the Prothean extinction, but outside of that, I know nothing." Liara replied.

"What about Saren? You know where he is?" Chief asked.

Liara paused at that and raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Er...no. Why would I?"

She didn't know. It was plain to see. The Chief sighed, knowing that he was about to give bad news. "There is evidence that clearly shows that your mother, Matriarch Benezia, is Saren's accomplice in all this. Did she mention any of this to you?"

Liara's eyes went wide with shock and her mouth was slightly agape. She looked down again as she put a palm to her forehead, as if trying to process what she just heard. Ashley was about to say something, but Chief held up a hand. He knew the Asari needed a minute.

"...No." Liara said, finally getting her wits back. "In fact, Benezia and I have not spoken in many years. I assure you, I had no idea what she has been doing since then."

"So...you don't really know anything that would help us?" Ashley asked.

"I'm...I'm afraid not, no." Liara replied.

Ashley sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "Well, so much for that lead. Back to square one, I guess. So what do we do with T'soni now? Hand her over to Therum's CDF?"

"I don't think we should." Garrus said, speaking up for the first time since the meeting began. "We know the conduit is a Prothean artifact of some sort. Her expertise on Prothean archaeology could be useful later on."

"And her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts." Wrex added.

"Not to mention Saren could come after her again. She'd be safest with us, I think." Kaidan threw in his two cents.

"I think we have a unanimous vote, Chief." Cortana said.

Chief nodded. All good arguments in favor of keeping her on board, and the only argument against it he could think of was her being a target could make the _Normandy _a target. Then again, the _Normandy _is currently one of the most advanced stealth ships in the Alliance fleet, so they were pretty hard to find to begin with. Doubtful the Asari's presence on board would change that.

He turned to the Asari. "Welcome aboard, Dr. T'soni."

"Thank you Chief." she replied as she stood up. "I'm very gratef-" she lost her sentence as she staggered a bit before standing upright. "I am afraid I am feeling a bit light-headed.

Unusual, but then Chief remembered that the scientist must have been in that bubble shield thing for a while. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Not since breakfast. That was several hours before the Geth even attacked." Liara answered. "I have a bad habit of being so indulged in my work that I often skip meals."

"We'll have our medic, Dr. Chakwas, take a look at you. Then I want you to eat something. You're no good to me starving to death." Chief instructed.

"It is probably just mental exhaustion." Liara dismissed. "Coupled with the shock of discovering the Protheans' true fate. I need some time to process all this."

Chief crossed his arms and stared at the Asari. Somehow, Liara just knew he was giving her the kind of look a parent would use on a child who knew better. "Still...it could not hurt to be examined by a medical professional."

"Indeed it couldn't." Chief pointed out.

"Chief, don't pick on the newbie." Cortana scolded.

"Are we finished here, Chief?" Liara asked.

The SPARTAN-II nodded and then turned to the rest of the squad. "Dismissed." he said. With that, everyone got up and left the room.

"Mission reports are filed, Chief." Joker's voice reported. "You want me to patch you through to the Council?"

Chief sighed. He really didn't want to, but he knew that it would bite him in the ass later if he didn't. "Go ahead." Chief replied.

"Setting up the link now, Chief." Joker reported.

The ship's onboard VI had automatically written up and sent the mission report to the Council while the _Normandy _was flying from the science camp to Beacon of Discovery. They've likely already read it by now and want to clarify a few things. Unusual that they would provide feedback on the report not even an hour after the assignment was completed. You'd think they'd have other things to do, being the rulers of Citadel space and all. Then again, Chief was the first Human spectre, so he supposed it was logical that the council would be keeping an especially close eye on him.

The spartan turned to the three kiosks that stood at the edge of the comm room. They were installed after he was made spectre, so that he would always have a direct line of communication with the council. After a minute, the images of Councilors Sparatus, Tevos and Valern materialized before the Chief.

"Councilors." Chief said with a nod of what he hoped was respect.

"We've received your report, Chief." Tevos began. "We understand that Dr. T'soni is on the _Normandy._"

"We assume you're taking the necessary security precautions?" Sparatus asked with a skeptical tone.

"That's not necessary." Chief replied, immediately catching on to what Sparatus was insinuating. "Liara didn't know what her mother was up to. She's on our side, for now at least."

"And if she's lying?" Sparatus asked.

"She's not." Chief replied matter-of-factly.

The old Turian grunted. "You seem oddly convinced of that."

"I can tell when people are lying to me, Councilor." Chief stated. "In any case, the Geth were trying to kill her. That seems to imply that she wasn't working with Saren or Benezia."

"Benezia would _never _allow Saren to kill her daughter." Tevos resolutely said. Chief suspected that Tevos and Benezia might have been old friends, judging from the way Tevos tried to defend her.

"Maybe she doesn't know?" Valern suggested.

"Or maybe we don't know her." Sparatus countered. "We never expected she could be a traitor. Perhaps she could be a murderer as well."

"Well, at least the mission was a success." Valern said.

"Apart from the utter destruction of a major Prothean ruin." Sparatus was quick to point out. He turned his accusing eyes on the spartan. "Was that _really _necessary Chief?"

"Collateral damage, councillor. Couldn't be helped." Chief stated. "Dr. T'soni's well-being was the primary objective, not the preservation of the ruins."

"Of course, Chief." Valern said with an approving nod. "The mission must always take priority."

"Moving on." Tevos stated. "Since Dr. T'soni doesn't seem to know anything about the conduit, we seem to be right back where we started. No leads."

"So, what do I do now?" Chief asked.

"Our finest intelligence experts are keeping their eyes and ears open." Valern stated. "We will alert you of further developments."

"Until then, you should return to the Citadel. Once you are done resupplying at Beacon of Discovery, chart a course for home, spectre." Tevos concluded. And with that, their images faded away.

"I'm going to have to put up with them after _every _mission, aren't I?" Chief asked.

"Looks that way." Cortana replied.

Chief sighed as he called up the ship's inner-com. "Joker. What's the ETA on repairs?" the spartan asked.

"Another few hours. Meantime, a lot of the crew are taking a look around Beacon of Discovery for more supplies."

Chief grimaced. "I didn't authorize a shore leave."

"Requisitions Officer Lawrence did, sir." Joker informed. "He does this whenever we hit port. The Empire's got some pretty unique guns and he thought we could take advantage of it. Should I call him back?"

Chief sighed. "No. Let him get the weapons. But once we're ready to go, I want to see him in my quarters."

"Sir, yes sir."

...

Joker switched off communications and leaned back in his chair and grumbled. Chief was more of a hardass than Anderson. Oh well. Lawrence was the one that was gonna get it and not Joker, which suited him just fine. He went back to looking out the window and watching the Hurogok like a hawk. He had already written up a nasty letter to the Beacon of Discovery's dock office, and his finger was hovering over the send button, just waiting for the tentacled engineers to screw up. Monica chuckled at the sight. She thought it was cute, the way Joker watched over the ship the way a mother bear would watch over her cubs.

The last hour or so was quite exciting for Monica. Chief called them, letting them know that there were civvies in need of evac on Therum's surface. The ship flew on down to the planet's surface, and if it weren't for _her _mapping out the area and tracking radio signals, they never would have found that camp. Then, not even two minutes after the job was done, Chief called again, saying that now HE needed evac. Once again, it was all because of her awesome navigation skills that they were able to even find the pickup zone.

Monica wasn't exactly on the front lines, but she found glory wherever she could.

She heard Joker mention that they were going to remain docked for another couple of hours. She wondered if she could get Harvey to cover for her while she left the ship to buy herself a souvenir.

...

**A couple of notes. You may have noticed that I FINALLY got the Turian Councilor's name right (Velarn? Varn? Valern? Valern! That's it.). I promise, I will remember it. Valern. Valern. I will repeat that in my sleep.**

**As for why this is the first update in over two months...I got nuthin'. I've run out of excuses. If any of you feel compelled to flame me, feel free to do so. Lord only knows I would do the same thing if the roles were reversed.**

**And finally, how have I been portraying the Chief so far? Too powerful? Not powerful enough? I was worried he might be the former in that fight sequence with the Geth, but the aim was to make him look VERY powerful, the reason why will be made clear in the next chapter**


	13. N'tho has joined your party!

0957 Hours, February 27th, 2683

Beacon of Discovery

Surface of Therum

Knossos system, Artemis Tau Cluster

...

As he walked the streets of Beacon of Discovery, it had occurred to the Chief that in all the years he had been fighting the Covenant, he had never really gotten a good look at their cities, at least not this close up. He never really knew what their culture was like, aside from it being a theocracy that viewed Humans as unholy hellspawn for some inexplicable reason. He had never really seen elites, grunts or hunters in their everyday lives.

It was surprising, just how Human they seemed.

The streets were paved with steel as hovering vehicles of various shapes and sizes whizzed by. The sidewalks were also made of metal and were raised about two inches off the road. The sidewalks were clogged with elites and grunts decked out in robes, shirts and pants, rather than the armor that Chief had become accustomed to seeing them in. They were all walking to and from their nine-to-five jobs, their busy careers, their shopping trips, all the things that civvies did. Some stopped to glance at the SPARTAN-II walking down the sidewalk. Chief didn't mind much; he was no stranger to stares, though stares from elites made him more anxious than stares from Humans, for obvious reasons. But once they got an eyeful, they quickly went back to walking to whatever destination they were walking too.

Chief also noted that this was the first time he had ever seen female Sangheili. The sexual dimorphism wasn't all that different to that of Humans; the females were typically shorter, slimmer, slightly curvier and generally more petite than the males. Aside from those differences, the males and females looked more or less the same. He often heard scuttlebutt around some UNSC ships that stated that female elites were these exotically beautiful creatures that looked nothing like the males. Chief never bought that theory, mostly because it made no sense.

Chief was on edge as he walked through the streets. If it had been up to him, he'd have just stayed on the _Normandy, _but Cortana had managed to nag him into taking her on a tour of the port. Sure, she could've just gotten information on this colony through the codex, but where was the fun in that? There was a very fine line between studying about something from a database, and actually gathering data yourself on the field. That, and she was hoping that Chief would bump into one of his crew members around here and give him a chance to properly socialize with them.

Chief eventually wandered out of the skyscraper-heavy uptown and soon found himself in the bazaar-like downtown area. There were various shops and stands from which merchants, many of which were grunts, tried to pitch the quality of their goods to whoever walked by. It was here that he saw more of what he came to expect from elites. Many of the more popular shops were weapon and armor vendors, and haggling between customer and merchant was fairly commonplace. He saw several juvenile elites chasing small, rat-like creatures throughout the streets. One was caught by who Chief assumed was his father and the child was given a disapproving wag of an elongated finger before being dragged off to parts unknown.

"We have thirty-nine-thousand credits left in our bank, just in case there's something here that catches your eye." Cortana reported.

Chief nodded and headed over to a weapon vendor. While he definitely preferred Human-made guns over Sangheili ones, Chief admitted that he had become somewhat fond of plasma grenades over the years. They were easy enough to activate and throw, they created a nicely-sized explosion, and he felt oddly satisfied whenever he was able to successfully stick a grenade to a hostile. They weren't very good for recon and spec. ops missions though. Too bright, too loud, too noticeable. But in any other situation, a good grenade to have.

The merchant took the liberty of packaging the grenades in a small container about the size of an egg carton; appropriate, since Chief had bought a dozen plasma grenades. He gave the merchant his money and stuck the container to his shoulder pad, his armor detecting his fingerprints on the container and activating the magnetic lock.

It was then that, out of the corner of his eye, Chief noticed two Sangheili running past the crowd. He turned his head, but just missed them. He checked his motion sensor and, sure enough, two white dots (representing non-combatants) were barreling down the street at a speed that could only suggest they were chasing something.

"Stop thief!" he heard one yell. Ah. That explains it. Local law enforcement in hot pursuit of a criminal. Chief briefly entertained the idea of helping catch the thief, but decided against it. For one, he didn't see the thief anywhere and two, he still had a few things he thought of buying and chasing a thief would be a waste of time. Granted, if it was just some pickpocket, it would only take like three minutes. But it would be a waste of three minutes. Three minutes or three days, a waste of time was a waste of time. He continued off in another direction when he heard something coming from the way those two cops ran.

"Let me go, you bosh'tet!"

"Silence, wretch! Or I will run you through!"

Tali. Chief didn't talk to her all that much, but he had heard enough of her voice to recognize it from twenty meters away. He turned away and bolted. In three seconds, he covered the hundred meters (much to the astonishment of several onlookers) over to the scene. One Sangheili officer crouched over an open case containing various mechanical parts and was pressing some buttons on his omni-tool. The other one was holding Tali by the collar against the wall. Given the vast height advantage between the two species, Tali's feet were dangling as the officer held her head level with his own, which was eight and a half feet off the ground.

"Do you know what my kind does to thieves, Quarian?" the officer holding her asked in a dark, threatening tone. "We disembowel them and then parade their entrails around the bazaar."

"Well, it's good thing I'm no thief then!" Tali spat.

"Watch your tongue or I will cu-"

"There a problem here, officers?" Chief asked as he stepped forward. He knew this wasn't a combat scenario and sought out to resolve this peacefully. However, he still kept his hand near his pistol, just in case.

"This Quarian is suspected of theft." The officer by the case replied as he pulled out a mechanical part and examined it. "She claims that she paid for all this. For obvious reasons, we doubt it."

Obvious reasons? Were Quarians typically thieves? " I DID pay for all that!" Tali yelped indignantly. She turned to Chief. "I used our budget to pay for it. Check it yourself, Chief!"

"I said silence!" the Sangheili pinning her roared. "Or I will slice a hole in your suit and leave you to die in the street!"

"She's right." Cortana reported. "I've got electronic receipts saying that some money was taken out for parts that look a lot like the ones in that case."

"Alright, boys. Let her go." Chief said as he typed on his omni-tool. Cortana knew the drill by now and brought up the receipt on Chief's blue omni-tool. "The Quarian's with me. She paid for these parts using my budget. She's authorized to do that." The Sangheili by the case stood up and walked over to the spartan to observe the documents that were now holographically displayed.

"My, how convenient." the elite holding Tali said, who was apparently the meaner of the two. "A Human shows up out of nowhere to defend a Quarian. Why do I have trouble believing this?"

"I'm afraid he is right, brother." The other elite said. "Dates, product names, it's all right here." He turned to his partner and gestured his head toward the spartan. The more bigoted elite snarled in response. He unceremoniously hurled Tali towards the Chief, hitting the ground with a thud at his feet.

"Consider yourself fortunate, _Quarian wretch._" The Sangheili spat one final time before leaving. His partner followed, paying no further heed to Tali and the Chief. The spartan looked down at the suited alien.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Tali groaned as she got up. "Split-faced bosh'tet."

"I take it Quarians and elites don't get along that well?" Chief asked.

"It's not just the Sangheili." Tali sighed as she went over to pick the case full of parts back up. "It's everyone. Humans, Turians, Asari. Pretty much every other species in the galaxy think of Quarians as being nothing but beggars and thieves."

"What makes them think that?"

"Our nomadic reputation, probably." Tali replied. "At least, that's my guess. Sometimes the Migrant Fleet enters a star system under some other alien government's control. At best, they bribe us with ship parts into going away. At worst, they tell us to at gunpoint. I remember this one time we stopped at a Kig-Yar controlled system. They sold us air filters at ridiculously high prices _knowing _how badly we needed them. Not to mention that Batarians and Jiralhenae like to attack us whenever they get bored, which is about a few times a year."

"So, basically your species is everybody else's punching bag?" Chief asked.

"More or less." Tali replied. "I mean, the admirals told me I'd face racism when I left the flotilla, but I had no idea just how right they were. We Quarians are NOT just drudges living on the edge of galactic society. Every time someone talks down to me just for wearing this suit I just want to-"

"Okay, calm down." Chief said. "Just let it go. It's over. Moving on." Tali sighed and then nodded. "Although I will say; remember when I said you were authorized to use the budget?"

"Yes?"

"I lied. How'd you get access to it?"

"Chief Engineer Adams gave it me. He said you wouldn't mind."

The spartan sighed. He'd have to have a discussion with the chief engineer later about authorization and how it's not something to be handed out like candy. Tali picked up on the Chief's exasperation and scowled underneath her helmet.

"I DIDN'T steal the access codes." Tali quickly pointed out.

"I didn't say that." Chief replied.

"But you were thinking it!"

"No. I was thinking that Adams shouldn't hand out authorized budget access to just anyone."

"Oh, so you don't trust me then?"

"I'm not saying that."

"But you're not saying you fully trust me either."

Chief sighed in defeat. "Just get back on the ship, Tali."

"Why? Because it's where I belong? Because we Quarians are only good for-"

"Get. Back. On. The ship." Chief sternly said, his patience for the Quarian finally running out. "That was an order."

Tali stood there a second, her fists trembling with anger. She then turned on her heels and stormed off. "A little harsh, don't you think?" Cortana asked.

"She'll get over it." Chief quickly replied.

Chief's personal COM began to crackle. "Chief? You there?" Joker's voice came.

"What is it, Joker?" the spartan replied.

"We...uh...we got a message here." the pilot reported.

"Message from who?" Chief asked.

"Don't know. Says it's for your ears only." Joker replied.

Interesting. "Patch it through." Chief ordered.

The spartan waited a moment. Then; "Master Chief, my name is Nassana Dantius." came a woman's voice. "I have a job for you. I can't say any more in an unsecured communication. If you're interested in hearing my offer, meet me in Beacon of Discovery's capital building so we can discuss this in person. I'll be waiting in the diplomat's lounge. Please hurry. Somebody's life is at stake."

And nothing more after that. "How far are we from the capitol building?" Chief asked.

"Not far." Cortana said. "A cab can take us there in about ten, fifteen minutes." Chief paused in thought. "She DID say that somebody's life was at stake, and she was willing to make an offer."

"I am NOT a mercenary." Chief sternly replied.

"I'm not saying you are." Cortana pointed out. "I'm just saying, this might be worth looking into."

Chief checked his internal clock. It would probably still be a while before repairs were done. There might be enough time to talk to her at the very least. Relenting, Chief made for a rapid transit terminal, summoned a cab, and sped off for the capital building.

...

The capital building was the hub of all of Beacon of Discovery's economic and political activities. It was here that diplomats came to discuss future colony plans and CEO's came to discuss trade routes and business transactions. Therum was a relatively new colony, and an important one at that within the Sangheili Empire. From what Cortana told Chief, the planet is meant to be a spring board for further exploration and settlement of the Artemis Tau Cluster.

After making his way through the crowded lobby, the Chief made his way to the diplomat's lounge. He noticed that there were actually more non-Sangheili in this room than in others. This was probably where off world politicians and businessmen came to relax or wait for appointments. He looked off in one direction and he saw an Unggoy and a Volus in a heated argument of some sort. By the bar, he saw a Sangheili and a Turian having a rather civil discussion. Two Mgalekgolo bond brothers stood in the back of the room, still as statues. The need for security didn't seem likely, given that the spartan was certain there weren't any particularly dangerous individuals in here. More likely than not, the hunters were ceremonious guards; kind of like the guards of the queen's palace in Britain.

Chief went up to the bar and asked for Nassana Dantius. The Unggoy barkeep pointed to an Asari wearing an expensive robe or dress. She was sitting by the window, holding a datapad in one hand and her own head in the other, likely nursing a headache. Chief walked over and it didn't take long before Dantius took notice of the spartan.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." Chief greeted.

"Nassana Dantius. Representative of the Asari Republics and ambassador to the Sangheili Empire." she returned. The Asari gestured Chief to have a seat.

"No thanks, I'll stand." Chief replied. He had yet to meet a chair outside his quarters that could bear the weight of a fully-armored SPARTAN-II. "You said you needed me for something? About how someone's life might be at stake?"

"That someone is my sister, Dahlia." Nassana quickly said. "She was a crewman on a cargo vessel operating out beyond the fringes of the Attican Traverse. Her ship was attacked by pirates. I thought she died, but a week ago, I received a message from her. She was alive. The rest of the crew was killed, but she was taken prisoner. The pirates demanded a huge ransom from me in exchange for returning her unharmed."

"That sounds unusual. Why spare her and kill everyone else?" Chief asked. Something about this didn't feel right. The spartan couldn't put his finger on it though.

"They must have realized who she was. My family is very wealthy, Chief. They know she's worth more alive than dead." Nassana explained. "But I'm no fool. I know that once they get their money, she won't be worth anything anymore and then she'll be as good as dead."

"Which is why you need me to find her and bring her back?"

"You only need to bring her back. I've already found her for you." she handed Chief the datapad she'd been holding. "I hired a private investigator to check out the account the pirates want me to pay the ransom through. He found it was connected to several other accounts, and then it all eventually led to a small mercenary band operating on the planet Sharjila in the Macedon System, only about a day or so from here. I need you to go to the merc base and get my sister back. I assure you, you'll be well-rewarded for this."

Chief thought about it for a second. His gut was telling him that there was something that this Asari wasn't telling him. "Why me? Why not hire somebody else?" he asked.

"Because you're a spectre!" Nassana yelped, close to hysterics. "You're the best there is at this sort of thing, and I can NOT take chances here. This is my sister's life we're talking about! She...she..." she dipped her head and covered her eyes with one hand. She choked as she tried to gasp in a breath. She was crying, and trying her hardest not to show it. After taking a minute to calm herself, she looked back up to the Chief. Tear stains were apparent on her cheeks. "Please..." she silently pleaded. "Just bring her back."

Chief sighed. He really shouldn't do this. He didn't know what exactly this little rescue mission would entail, so he could be down there for hours; hours that wouldn't be spent heading back toward the Citadel. The Council probably won't take too kindly the fact that he took a detour on his way back to the nest. Not to mention the fact that something about this felt off. But there was one undeniable fact that dictated that Chief had to do it.

Someone had just asked him to save a part of their family.

"I'll do it." Chief said, simply and plainly.

Dantius smiled. "Thank you." She then stood up. "I have a ship bound for the Citadel I need to catch. Good luck." And without another word, she left the lounge.

"You're doing a good thing here, Chief." Cortana said in an encouraging tone.

"Might as well do it. Council doesn't have any more pressing missions for us right now, so it'll be a good way to kill time. Keep our skills sharp." Chief replied.

"If you say so..." the AI said, not at all convinced by her spartan's feeble excuse to help someone. He had a heart, he just didn't like to show it. "Anyway, we should get going. _Normandy _should be fueled up and ready to go by now."

Chief nodded before leaving the room.

...

The sun began to set on Beacon of Discovery as Chief made his way back to the docks. He had contacted Joker and repairs and refuel are complete, and everyone was on board and ready to go. They were all just waiting on the spartan. Chief sighed in relief. He was looking forward to getting off of Therum. It unnerved him, being around so many elites, not knowing when they might attack him. Cortana told him that most of the elites in the city were civilians and probably wouldn't attack him, but he still just couldn't shake that feeling. Bottom line, once he was off this rock, he won't have to lay eyes on another Sangheili for a long time.

Once again, the Master Chief was lucky, but evidently not _that _lucky.

As he approached the docking bay, he saw two elites, which he immediately recognized as being two of the Spec. Ops Sangheili unit he had met earlier that day. One in white shiny armor, Field Master 'Narzun, and the other in black armor, who upon closer inspection, Chief realized was N'tho 'Sraom.

"Field Master 'Narzun? What are you doing here?" Chief asked.

'Narzun looked at N'tho and nodded. N'tho nodded back before facing the Chief and saluting with a pressed fist against his chest. "If you'll have me Chief...I'd be honored to join you on your man hunt for Saren."

The spartan paused, incredulous. "...I don't know what you're talking about." Chief finally replied.

"You know? Saren? Rogue spectre? Leading the Geth in his search for something called the Conduit which is supposed to be, like, this big scary super weapon? Come on, your Turian buddy Garrus told me all about it."

Chief winced. He now realized that he REALLY needed to have a talk with Garrus about the importance of a 'need-to-know' basis. "And I take it you wanna help?" he asked.

"Sure do. Uh, sir." N'tho replied. "I mean...if you'll have me."

"I can easily spare him, spartan. You need only ask." 'Narzun added.

Chief sighed as a battle began in his brain. A battle that, Chief couldn't help but notice, was repeating itself very much since he was woken out of cryo. Once again, the emotional half of his mind and the logical half were duking it out.

The emotional half roared its protests. Quarians and Asari, sure. Turians and Krogan, pushing it, but alright. But an elite? A squidhead? The species that glassed Reach? The species that killed so many friends? No! A thousand times, no! He wouldn't stand for it!

But a spartan's mind was a disciplined mind, and a disciplined was more often than not a logical mind. And the logical mind saw only facts. N'tho was an elite, and as such, nearly as skilled as a SPARTAN-II in combat. When a combatant like that readily volunteers for your mission, you just don't automatically say "no." As much as Chief hated to admit it, the UNSC probably wouldn't have won the war without the aid of the Covenant Separatists, and a large part of that was because of the elites' physical superiority in speed, strength and stamina over most other species.

Chief sighed. The logical half won this debate, as it always does. But that doesn't mean the emotional half of his mind doesn't have a valid point. He'd use caution around the elite, that much was for certain.

"Get on the ship." Chief ordered as he gestured to the airlock.

N'tho's eyes widened. "Really? No foolin'?" Chief nodded. "Oh man, this is gonna be AWESOME!" he cheered as he bolted down the walkway.

"Thank you, spartan." 'Narzun said. "I was actually hoping you'd take him."

"Got tired of his antics?" Chief asked.

"Something like that." 'Narzun replied with a shrug. "You see, N'tho suffers from a condition we Sangheili call 'The Delusion of Youth.'"

"Delusion of youth?" Chief asked.

"Indeed." 'Narzun began. "It's quite common amongst the Sangheili youth. Arrogance, overconfidence, recklessness, foolhardiness and complete and utter disregard for authority." The Field Master paused. "I understand you Humans have a word for youths like that...'Teenagers' I believe it was."

"Lovely." Cortana said.

"Anyway, we Sangheili believe that war can be the best teacher of humility. Nothing shatters the youthful delusions of invincibility in battle quite like a few near-miss sniper shots or a few grenade explosions that went off too close for comfort. As a spectre, it is likely you will have many such battles in the course of your mission, giving N'tho a chance to endure such humbling experiences."

"So...you elites send your teenagers into battle in the hopes that a few near-death experiences will make them less obnoxious?" Chief asked.

"Essentially."

"Uh...huh." Chief replied. Elite culture may be 'honorable' and 'noble,' but it was also pretty harsh, apparently. Then again, it sounded no more harsh than the spartan's own training. Moving on, Chief noted that there was one other thing about N'tho that bugged him. "I couldn't help but notice that N'tho's manner of speaking is less...eloquent than most elites'." Chief said.

"Well...he IS a squidhead. Such language comes with the subculture." 'Narzun replied.

"Subculture?" Chief asked.

"Ah yes. Forgive me. I forgot that you awoke from Cryo-sleep just recently, so this all must be very much new to you, my apologies." 'Narzun said. "Anyway...how shall I explain this? Many years after the Great Schism reached its conclusion, much cultural exchange took place between Humans and Sangheili. We introduced them to our war poems, our stories and our plays. They in turn introduced us to their television, their film and their video games. While the eldest of our kind cared little for such things, many of our youth were fascinated by them. They started calling themselves 'squidheads,' choosing to take pride in the less-than-flattering name given to us by Human soldiers during the Great War. N'tho has much knowledge of your culture and is fascinated by it, so much so that, like many squidheads, he has taken to your way of speaking, thinking and acting."

"I...see..." Chief replied.

"Make no mistake though. While N'tho appears to be akin to a bumbling Unggoy, he is actually quite skilled in battle; otherwise, he would not have been considered good enough to join my men. He's a good shot, makes use of stealth and ambushes quite well...if in a rather unorthodox manner at times. He simply needs to learn discipline and humility, traits that I am quite confidant that you can instill into him."

"Just as a heads-up, I don't claim to be a good teacher." Chief said.

"Perhaps not, but hopefully your enemies will do most of the teaching for you." 'Narzun replied.

...

And so it was that Spec. Ops. Sangheili N'tho 'Sraom joined the crew of the _Normandy. _Some, like Joker and Kaidan, weren't really perturbed by the elite's presence on the ship. Others, like Pressly and Ashley, were less than comfortable with the addition of yet another non-human to the crew. Still, the combat team saw N'tho's skill in battle first hand. Bringing down a Geth Armature more or less single-handed is a good way to impress a spartan.

So, with an Asari scientist and a Sangheili Spec. Ops. newly in tow, the _Normandy _withdrew from Beacon of Discovery's dock and made a course for Sharjila with the intention of rescuing the sister of an Asari diplomat. It would be a good mission for N'tho to cut his teeth on, now that Chief thought about it. See what the elite was really made of.

Requisitions Officer Lawrence brought back some pretty fancy looking Sangheili weaponry. Plasma pistols, plasma SMG's, needler shotguns, plasma rifles, beam rifles, all would be good additions to the _Normandy's _armory. However Chief did tell Lawrence that next time they hit port, he wasn't to make such transactions without the spartan's say-so. Like any good soldier, Lawrence nodded and told the Chief that it wouldn't happen again.

Chief sat at his desk and studied up on the planet Sharjila via the codex. There wasn't much to say about it, apparently. It was basically an inhospitable, uninhabited rock. Preliminary surveys by the Sangheili Empire marked several thorium, uranium and magnesium deposits dotted across the surface, implying that the planet may be colonized for mining purposes in the future, but outside of that, not a single sapient soul on it. Outside of the pirates using it as a base, of course. It also had a dangerously dense atmosphere of ammonia and oxygen, so pressure suits will be a must on this assignment. Lucky for him all suits come with pressurization features, the squad's and his own. He had no idea how well fortified the pirate base would be, but they were just disorganized mercenaries and criminals, so Chief doubted that it was anything he couldn't handle. The best part about all this was he didn't have very long to wait. By this time tomorrow, he'd be planetside again and in the heat of battle, where every spartan belonged.

As he studied up on Sharjila, Cortana floated off to his side. Chief looked over to Cortana with a raised eyebrow, knowing that she had been staring at him expectantly. "What?" he asked.

"You're gonna stay cooped up in here the whole way to Sharjila, aren't you?" Cortana asked.

"Not the whole way." Chief answered. "My quarters don't have a bathroom or a kitchen so I'd have to leave for things like that."

"You know what I mean." Cortana said.

Chief sighed in defeat. "You're saying I should be like Kurt? Just go out there and talk to everyone? Get to know them?"

Chief was of course referring to SPARTAN-051, aka Kurt. Kurt was a part of Blue Team and was under Chief's command for a time, up until he died due to a faulty T-pack during a deep-space recon mission. The funny thing about Kurt was, he was unusually sociable for a spartan. He'd talk to fellow spartans, and even non-spartans like the drill instructors and the ODST's. While other spartans were keen on keeping mostly to themselves, Kurt was very open, making friends and constantly asking them personal questions in the hopes of striking up a conversation. He had a funny habit of saying 'I should go' or 'we'll talk later' whenever some duty that required his attention pulled him away from those conversations. It always bothered Chief, just how open Kurt was, so Chief didn't have much interest in being that open himself.

"Couldn't hurt." Cortana replied.

"It's unnecessary." Chief said. "I'd be wasting their time, and my own."

"Well, I think you should at least apologize to Tali." the AI pointed out.

"Apologize?"

"I still think you were a little too harsh with her back in that marketplace." Cortana said.

"She was out of line, so I brought her back into line. I did what any commanding officer would've done in that situation." Chief said resolutely. "I've got nothing to apologize for."

"She was kind of upset." Cortana pointed out next.

"She'll get over it." the spartan said, repeating his words on Therum. "In fact, she's probably forgotten all about it by now."

...

"STUPID!"

*BLAM!*

"ARMOR-HEADED!"

*BLAM!*

"INSENSITIVE!"

*BLAM!*

"SEVEN-FOOT!"

*BLAM!*

"**BOSH'TET!**"

*BLAM!*

*BLAM!*

*BLAM!*

On Ashley's list of 'scary aliens,' there were no Quarians, mostly because Quarians are very rarely thought of as dangerous. That might soon change after listening to Tali go on her little rant, with the aid of a shotgun and a target.

Ashley had decided that, in between missions, the "garage" area of Deck 3 could be used as a makeshift firing range. Requisitions Officer Lawrence purchased some hologram emitters that...well...emitted holograms, specifically targets. The emitters themselves were little discs on the floor that projected forth holograms of 'dummies' of various species that glowed yellow. Lawrence also bought 'holographic rounds' to shoot the targets with so that the ship's interior won't be all shot up by stray bullets. The dummy was currently of a Human male, and the areas where the holographic shotgun rounds hit glowed a bright red. Right now, much of the Human's torso, head, both arms, left leg and crotch were as red as Santa's suit. Tali took several heavy breaths as she panted; a rather audible sound thanks to her air filters and audio projectors. Ashley thought it wise to leave her be for a minute before speaking.

"Bad day, I take it?" Ashley asked, rather lamely she just realized.

"It's just...just...AAAARRRGH!" Tali screamed.

"Okay, calm down, calm. Down." Ashley said as she walked up to the Quarian and massaged her shoulders. "Deep breaths. Count to ten. Just cool it. Just. Cool it." she spoke slowly, hoping her calmness would project itself onto Tali. Eventually, Tali's breathing became less erratic and her shoulders relaxed. "Better?"

"Much. Thank you." Tali replied.

"Okay. Now why don't you tell me what happened?" Ashley asked.

"Well, I was falsely accused of stealing. Again." Tali began. "Chief managed to come to my rescue though...but then he accused me of stealing the codes to the mission budget to pay for the things I bought! And when I denied that, he accused me of being untrustworthy! Can you believe that?"

"I don't know." Ashley replied. "Chief doesn't strike me as the accusatory type. What did he say exactly?"

Tali paused. She set down her shotgun as she began to wring her hands nervously. "Well..." she said. "He didn't actually _say _anything, now that I think about it...but I know he was thinking it!"

"Tali...he's the Master Chief." Ashley said. "Trying to read him is like trying to read a brick wall. I think you might've jumped to conclusions a little."

The Quarian sighed as she took a moment to think about it. "Maybe I did. It's just...ever since I left the Flotilla, people have done nothing but look down on me and I''ve just about had it."

"So that's why you're so upset with Chief." Ashley said. "You think he was looking down on you."

"I suppose he never really accused me of being a thief." Tali said. "But he still looks down on me. If not for being a Quarian, then for being a...'civie.' I'm an engineer, so he just automatically assumes that anything that happens outside Engineering is none of my business. It's why he left me behind on Therum."

"Well..." Ashley began as she eyed the holographic dummy that was as red as a stop light. "Why don't you volunteer for the Sharjila mission tomorrow?"

"Sharjila?" Tali asked.

"It's our next stop. Some Asari Diplomat asked Chief to rescue her sister from pirates. It'd be a good chance to show him what you're really made of. Chief has some trust in me, so I'll vouch for you." Ashley said.

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Sure. What are friends for? Besides..." she turned and eyed the dummy's crotch, which was the brightest shade of red out of all the red areas on the dummy. She turned back to the Quarian with a smirk. "You've learned much, my dark apprentice..." she said in a dark tone.

A silence.

"Joke from an old sci-fi vid." Ashley quickly explained.

"Yeah. We don't watch many vids on the Flotilla." Tali replied.

...

Saren stood in front of the large viewing screen on board the _Sovereign_, still as a statue. He watched with detached interest the video recording of one of the surviving recon drones from the botched Therum operation. When he first heard of the Master Chief's reawakening, he subsequently heard much of his abilities. His incredible strength, speed, stamina, reflexes; he was quite possibly the most powerful sentient being alive. Saren initially dismissed the stories as Human propaganda.

Oh, how wrong he was.

He wouldn't believe it if he wasn't seeing it with his own eyes, and even then, his mind was still having trouble wrapping his head around it. There he was, the 'Master Chief,' Humanity's greatest hero, tearing through Saren's Geth forces with practiced ease. He tried to dismiss that too; it was reasonable to assume that Humanity's first spectre would at least be competent on the battlefield.

But then, he saw the brawl in the caves. How Chief leapt into a sea of Geth and laid waste to them. He slaughtered them all, one by one as the machines tried desperately in vain to fell the armored monster. Sure, he had help from his squad in the form of covering fire, but it was clear to see who the real threat was. Chief was like some glorious god of war, killing Geth in ways that should not have been possible; not for an ordinary Human. It was then that Saren finally realized that John-117 was no ordinary Human.

Now, one would think that Saren would be upset by how John foiled another operation of his. But the loss of Liara T'soni was, in truth, naught but a minor setback. True, her Prothean expertise would've been useful in his search for the conduit, as well as for further cementing Benezia's loyalty. But Liara's skill set was not critical to the mission. Hell, he ordered an invasion of Therum as an afterthought more than anything else.

No, Saren wasn't upset at all. In fact, he smiled. He smiled as he watched John rip his Geth forces to shreds. No, he wasn't upset.

He was fascinated.

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): SANGHEILI**

_Physically superior to most other races in the galaxy, the Sangheili are a hardy race with a proud history of martial prowess and military expertise. After serving as the principal military arm of the Covenant for millennia, the Sangheili broke away from the Covenant in retaliation to an attempted genocide by the San'Shyuum, and formed the Covenant Separatists. This triggered a conflict known as the Great Schism, which coincided with the end of the Human-Covenant War, as the separatists allied themselves with the UNSC._

_After the end of the Human-Covenant war, and after the end of the Great Schism seven years later, the Sangheili officially reopened ties with the UNSC in 2560, having deemed Humans to be warriors worthy of respect. A great deal of cultural, political and economic exchange between the two species took place as the Sangheili rebuilt their shattered society._

_Today, the Sangheili are one of the strongest military powers in Council space, having a fleet to rival the Human Alliance and Turian Hierarchy, and have begun to carve out their own pieces of the untamed Attican Traverse for colonization. Though they have been through dark times, the future looks bright for the Sangheili people._

_..._

**Yeah, I know. That codex for the Sangheili was kinda crappy, but don't worry about it. Now that we have an elite squad member, we'll get to know a little bit more about Sangheili biology, culture, government, military doctrine and religion through him, so expect more in-depth codex entries in the future.**

**Also, all the Tali fans out there who want Tali to get more involved in the story? Your wish will be granted in the next chapter. I guarantee it**


	14. Scary Suit Lady

**Here's a chapter that I've been looking forward to writing for a while now, and I'm sure is a chapter all the Tali fans have been looking forward to reading for a while now. Enjoy!**

...

1203 Hours, February 28th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Macedon system, Artemis Tau Cluster

...

It was about Noon the next day when Joker announced that they were approaching Sharjila, and Chief then immediately gave the order to prep the mako. Once again, various servicemen scrambled to get the mako in position. Ashley watched the scene as she began putting on her armor. She likened the servicemen to servants making ready the gladiator's chariot before he enters the colosseum.

Chief had sent Ashley a message earlier that he wanted her ready to go by the time the mako was, so here she was, putting on her armor and picking out her favorite weapons. Wrex and N'tho were getting suited up as well, as the Chief called on them too. It looked like Garrus and Kaidan would be benched this time around. While there was room in the mako for the whole team, it would be really cramped, not to mention a smaller team is easier to manage. So, the Chief would only be taking three people with him this time out.

Correction; he'll be taking four, if Tali has any say in it.

Even though Chief made no request for Tali, she was there getting outfitted for battle, same as the rest of them. Ashley hoped that by having Tali ready for battle right there on the spot would help her odds of getting to come along. Ashley was actually surprised by how Tali inspected each weapon before equipping it, like she knew them all by heart. And she gave off that distinctive aura that all soldiers of all species gave off; one of confidence and determination. She never would've thought Tali was a civvie if the Quarian hadn't told her so, and even then it was getting increasingly harder to believe.

Garrus was kneeling by one of the mako's tires, making sure the suspension was aligned right when the elevator door opened revealing the Master Chief himself, fully armored as usual and ready for a fight. Everyone on deck stopped and saluted, a salute the Chief returned before heading over to the weapons table and selecting his weapons.

"Alright, listen up." Chief began. "This should be an easy enough assignment. Get in, get the hostage, get out. We're looking at a pretty small band of pirates, so it's nothing this group can't handle. Sharjila has a very dense atmosphere so suits must be pressurized and we are not to leave the mako until we are within ten meters of the target facility. Everyone ready?"

"Yes sir!"

"Yep."

"You got it!"

"Ready and waiting!"

...Chief heard four assents of acknowledgement. He should've only heard three. All was not right in the kingdom.

He turned and looked at the four. There were Ashley, Wrex and N'tho, fully armed and armored as they should be. There was Tali, fully armed but not really fully armored since it's hard to wear armor over that suit; or at least, the Chief would imagine so. The spartan walked up to the Quarian and stood in front of her, scrutinizing her. Tali simply stood, rigid as a two-by-four, as any soldier should be in the presence of a superior officer.

"...Tali, what are you doing here?" Chief asked.

"Sir! I'm here to lend my combat expertise for the Sharjila mission SIR!" Tali said. Human military officers loved it when you started and finished every sentence you say with 'sir.' At least, that's what she thought.

Chief paused. Then, he shook his head. "Tali, go back to Engineering."

"Chief! I can fight!" Tali protested.

"Permission to speak sir?" Ashley asked.

"Granted." Chief replied.

"I've been showing her a few moves in-between missions, sir. She's actually pretty good." Ashley said.

"You mean you've been _encouraging _this?" Chief asked.

"Well, yes but-"

"Save it." Chief replied. He turned back to Tali. "You don't have any real training. You've got no business carrying a rifle."

"I was required to go through MANY self-defense courses before I was allowed to embark on pilgrimage." Tali pointed out.

"Once again. You don't have any _real _training."

"Are you saying that Quarian combat training is insufficient?" she asked with an accusing finger.

"No. I'm saying _your _combat training is insufficient. I'm sure there are plenty of combat-capable Quarians out there, but as far as I can see, you're not one of them."

The argument would've gone on, and probably would've gotten a whole lot nastier, if the two didn't hear a deep voice clearing its throat. Chief and Tali turned to see Wrex raising his hand. "I say we bring the Quarian with us, if it'll get her to shut up." the Krogan suggested.

"I'm not going to babysit a civvie during this whole mission." Chief stated.

"Then don't." Wrex rebuked. "She knows the risks. If she gets her head blown off, it's her own damn fault."

Chief looked back at Tali. "Look Chief. I'll admit it. I'm no soldier." the Quarian began. "But the reason I joined you was because...part of me WANTS to be a soldier. Everyone in the galaxy thinks my people are weak. Fighting along side you can prove them wrong. I know that Saren poses a threat to the entire galaxy and I want to help, but I feel...USELESS doing nothing but monitoring the _Normandy's _eezo-core all day long. You saw me throw a grenade and jump into cover behind a crate in that alleyway on the Citadel. I've got potential and you know it. Please. Just give me a chance to prove myself. That's all I'm asking of you. A chance."

There was a silence that hung in the air.

"Oh come on, Chief." Cortana said. "Let's bring her along. I've got a good feeling about her."

Chief sighed. "You've got co-pilot." he said at last. "You do what I tell you, when I tell you, and when bullets start flying, I highly recommend keeping your head down. And I think I'll follow Wrex's advice and assume no responsibility whatsoever if you do something stupid. Am I clear?"

Tali straightened and, even though he was trying to be stern, Chief saw the edges of a smile through her visor. "Crystal sir!"

"Good. Now everybody get in the mako." Chief ordered.

...

The mako plowed on through the silica dust-covered plains of Sharjila, getting inexorably closer to what they hoped was the pirate base where Dahlia Dantius was being held. Ashley operated the guns, Wrex and N'tho were riding in the back, Tali was the co-pilot, and Chief as usual was driving.

Their ride had been a monotonous one; ten minutes of doing nothing but driving with naught but the occasional bump in the road to make the trip at all interesting. It didn't help that they were currently in the middle of nowhere. Between the rocky brown dirt and the sickly brownish-green sky, Sharjila looked like a world that was well and truly dead. And as if the polluted look of the environment didn't put them off enough, high-speed surface winds laden with abrasive silica dust had been ravaging the landscape since well before they touched down. According to the codex, this planet was supposed to have an extensive silicon-based, oxygen-breathing ecology. But they had yet to see any of the native flora or fauna and, honestly, they found it hard to imagine any sort of life as being able to thrive in a place like this.

Chief's eyes darted to the rear camera viewer, which showed the back of the mako. Wrex's foot was hopping; likely a sign that he was getting antzy. N'tho was pressing some buttons on his omni-tool. Chief's ears then started picking up extremely faint music coming from the back. Apparently, the elite had an MP3 on his omni-tool, which he just activated. His vision darted back to the path ahead of him. Still nothing but planet. He checked the turret cam. Ashley's eyes were still down the cannon's sights, but she didn't look terribly alert. Finally, Chief turned to Tali, who was monitoring the various radar and motion sensor layouts. He heard the tiniest sigh escape from the Quarian.

The squad was officially bored, and the spartan could hardly blame them.

"Oh ancestors be praised!" Tali suddenly exclaimed. "I'm picking up comm chatter!"

"Quarian, if this is your idea of a joke..." Wrex growled out a warning.

"No! Really! The chatter doesn't match any known comm registrations. I think we've got pirates!" the machinist went on.

"About damn time!" Ashley cheered from the gunner seat.

"Same here!" Wrex called.

"Huh? What's goin' on?" N'tho asked as he deactivated his MP3.

"Closing in on possible pirate signal." Chief quickly explained.

"Signal is...Northeast! Up those hills. We'll have to circle arou-"

Tali was interrupted by Chief making a hard right in the desired direction and headed off the relatively flat plains and up the rocky hills. What followed was the single most unpleasant riding experience anyone (except the Chief) in that vehicle ever had. The terrain became so jagged that the mako was bumping up and down and side to side and to and fro and every which-direction you can imagine. The Chief slammed on the breaks, bringing the mako to a stop.

"Is it over?" Tali shyly asked, refusing to let go of the control panel until she was absolutely sure.

"Oh crap." Ashley said. "My head...I think I might be bleeding."

"Get your foot outta my face, squidhead!" Wrex growled.

"Get your face outta my foot, dinofrog!" N'tho growled back.

"Everyone cut the chatter. We've stopped." Chief ordered. The spartan pressed a few buttons on the control panel and the mako's camera zoomed in on the pirate base. He now realized that calling it a 'base' was generous. 'Warehouse' was more appropriate. It was a tall, long, block-shaped structure with an overhang near the base which concealed the door. He recognized it as a standard large prefab warehouse; mostly used for storage purposes on frontier colony worlds. There were about a dozen armed guards patrolling the perimeter and three guard towers. Two towers were standing on opposite sides of the front area while the third was nestled amongst the cliffs behind the warehouse.

Chief furrowed his brow in thought. The guards were nothing against the mako, and the towers could be taken out with good enough aim on Ashley's part. It would be quick, clean, and easy.

"Alright, Williams." Chief began. "Painting a target for you. Hit it whenever you're ready." Chief said as he painted the guard tower at the back cliffs. He gripped the wheel and his foot hovered over the gas pedal. Ashley aimed the turret at the tower and fired the cannon, lighting up the back guard tower in fire and smoke.

Then, Chief slammed on the gas pedal.

The mako surged forward and Wrex and N'tho once again found themselves bumping against just about everything in the vehicles back compartment. Tali once again gripped the edges of the control console and made silent prayers to her ancestors to not let this insane Human's driving kill her. Ashley was the only one not perturbed by the Chief's driving as she was busy spraying the ground with machine gun fire, sending the guards scurrying. She fired her cannon at the second guard tower, then lined up a shot at the third. It too went up in smoke as the mako passed.

Just like the ocean predator for which it was named, the armored vehicle circled around for another strike. The machine gun peppered the ground, catching various pirates who were too slow, too dumb, or both to get out of the way. Another cannon blast created a crater and sent another newly-dead body flying through the air. Two more pirates were crushed by the mako's washing machine-sized tires, resulting in a further bumpier ride. The mako stopped at the edge of the perimeter and fired a final cannon blast, killing the last three guards.

Ashley winked green twice. All clear. Chief turned to Tali and pushed her on the shoulder, snapping her from her fright-induced paralysis. Wrex and N'tho were once again threatening each other with bodily harm if they didn't get off each other. "Alright. Pressurize suits if you haven't already. We're heading in." Chief ordered.

...

When they entered, the five of them came into an entrance hallway. Once the door outside closed, a VI asked them to please not depressurized their suits until the hallway was properly matched up with the pressure of the main housing room, a process that would take about ten minutes. Chief decided to spend that time checking his weapons. N'tho and Ashley did the same, while Tali checked to see if all her combat programs on her omni-tool were still working. Wrex however, decided to spend the time differently.

"So N'tho." Wrex said. "If you and Chief got in a fight, who'd you think would win?"

"Er..." the elite said, not really prepared for the question.

"If you don't know, then Chief would win. You need to be _decisive _to win a fight, squidhead." the Krogan pointed out.

N'tho glared daggers at the merc. "Oh yeah? Well, what if YOU and Chief got into a fight?"

Chief rolled his eyes. Wrex being a species known for its savagery and N'tho being a species known for glassing Reach, Chief was worried that these two might turn on him. Turns out, they were far more likely to go after each other.

"It'd be a tough fight..." Wrex said as he rubbed his mask's chin in thought. "But I think I'd win."

"I'm right here, you know." Chief said as he disassembled his assault rifle and making sure each part worked correctly.

"I know." Wrex said as he turned to the spartan. "You and I are pretty equal in terms of raw physical strength, but I've got something you don't; biotics. I think that would give me an edge over you."

"Only if you can hit me." Chief pointed out. "I may not be a biotic like you are, but I'm faster and more agile than any enemy you've ever fought. I could run circles around you and you'd never be able to hit me."

"A good warp can stop anything in its tracks. Even you."

"Nerve strikes can disable biotics."

"Which don't work on Krogan. Redundant nervous systems, remember? Tried to take out that Krogan biotic on Therum with nerve strikes and THAT didn't turn out too well, now did it?"

"Every nervous system can be shut down. I've been studying Krogan anatomy since that encounter on Therum, and I'm now fairly certain I could disable you in close quarters."

"Only if you can get close to me. How many times must I say 'biotics' before it gets through that thick skull of yours? I slap you with a stasis field, and that holds you in place long enough to get myself in a fortified position from which I can fill you with bullets."

"Once again; only if you can hit me. Stasis fields don't last forever, and once it wore off, I'd be up and moving. Speed? Agility? Don't Krogan take those factors into account?"

"Doesn't matter how fast you run into a stone wall; you're still gonna break a bone. Speed is irrelevant."

"I know several hundred dead elites and brutes that argue otherwise."

"Keelah." Tali groaned. "Will you two just whip them out and measure them already?"

Not for the first time, Tali suddenly became acutely aware of her bad habit of talking before thinking when everyone's gaze turned towards her. Wrex and N'tho chuckled, apparently getting the joke. Whereas Chief just stared at her. Again, it was impossible to tell, but she was fairly certain that he was giving her one of those looks that could kill. Ashley snorted with the beginning of laughter, but a quick glare from the spartan quickly silenced her.

"Ideal pressure has now been attained." the VI announced. "You may now take off your suits. Have a pleasant day."

With that, the door control went from red to green, signifying it could now be opened. Tali sighed in relief. She would be spared the spartan's wrath, if only for now. Chief took up position by the door, the rest of the squad following suite.

He held up three fingers.

Then two. Tali and Wrex whipped out their shotguns. N'tho took out not one, but two plasma SMG's in each hand. Ashley and the Chief readied their assault rifles.

The spartan then held up one finger and then made a fist signifying zero. He hit the door control, the door opened and the five of them rushed in, flying bullets welcoming them into the pirate base.

The chamber was very large; stacks upon stacks of crates lined the warehouse with long aisles in between. Chief had fought in environments like this before, and in his experience, it was a double-edged sword. One the one hand, you had lots of places to take cover and plan ambushes. On the other hand, so did the opposition. Chief knew they'd probably be here a while.

The five all took cover behind a low stack of crates. Chief took note of the layout as he popped out of cover to fire off some burst shots. The pirate force was racially mixed; a fairly even ratio of Humans, Turians Kig-Yar, and Unggoy as well as new aliens Chief hadn't thus far encountered. They had the same basic body shape as Humans, but had yellow skin, sharp teeth, bald heads and, most noticeable of all, four eyes instead of two. Apparently, pirates aren't the sort to discriminate.

"Picking up enemy COM chatter." Cortana reported. "Triangulating signal...coming from way over on the other side of the warehouse."

Chief looked and saw two snipers on the balcony on the far end of the warehouse, both of them Kig-Yar, unsurprisingly. Standing between them was, oddly enough, an Asari. She was fully armored and had a finger to the side of her helmet.

"That must be their leader. You know what to do." Cortana said.

Chief tried to line up a shot on the Asari. Unfortunately, she noticed.

The Asari commander surrounded herself in a biotic barrier, the bullets Chief firing at her harmlessly bouncing off. She stretched out her hand towards Chief, and the SPARTAN-II suddenly found himself knocked to the ground. His shield was beeping, indicating it was completely out, other beeps indicating that his suit's integrity had been partially comprised, and he generally felt like a hunter just punched him in the gut.

He quickly realized that he had been hit by a biotic warp. He was starting to get annoyed with fighting biotics.

After waiting for his shields to recharge, he popped out of cover to lay down some fire again, this time noting that there were avenues for advancement on either side. An aisle to the far left, and an aisle to the far right. He ducked back into cover as a plan quickly formed in his head.

"N'tho, take the far left aisle. Wrex, take the far right. Flank them." Chief ordered. N'tho and Wrex both winked green before setting off to do their work.

Wrex grinned as he ran down the aisle. He was grinning because, apparently, the pirates opted for a similar tactic and tried to use the aisles on the far sides to flank their pinned down enemies. Now, a couple of Turians were charging forward, assault rifles blazing. Wrex liked the idea of playing chicken with a couple of dumb Turians.

He wrapped himself in a biotic barrier to make himself more bulletproof and took out his pistol and began firing. The pistol fire was meant to lull the Krogan's soon-to-be-kills into a false sense of superiority; surely their combined assault rifle fire was more than a match for his puny little pistol.

What they didn't count on, or were too dumb to realize, was that Wrex had a trick up his sleeve. He thrust his blue aura-covered hand forward, sending one Turian pirate flying all the way to the other side of the room. His partner turned to take note and then turned back to find a charging Krogan that wouldn't stop. He tried to pull the trigger, but this rifle had overheated. Once he was in arm's length, Wrex pistol-whipped the pirate right across the jaw. He then grabbed him by the side of his head and started slamming his skull into a crate over and over. He did this about half a dozen times before he noticed blue blood oozing out of cracks in his skull. The Krogan dropped the body, took out his shotgun, and pumped a couple of rounds into the Turian's chest for good measure.

Meanwhile, N'tho was using the natural talents of his race much like Wrex was. While Wrex took advantage of his brute strength and nigh-invulnerability as a Krogan, N'tho took advantage of his nimble speed and graceful agility as a Sangheili. N'tho leapt into cover as a Kig-Yar and a Batarian opened fire on him. Rather than fire back, N'tho actually chose to climb on top of the tall row of crates he had been hiding behind and threw a plasma grenade down on them. The ball of plasma adhered itself to the Batarian's chest, giving him just enough time to shriek out an expletive before the grenade detonated. N'tho then whipped out his two Plasma SMG's and starting raining green fire down on the main pirate force. While he was doing this, his favorite song just popped up on his MP3, and given the circumstances, he just couldn't resist singing along aloud.

_I'm dual-wielding my SMG's!_

_I'm gonna go on a killing spree!_

_You'd better not try to mess with me!_

_Cuz I'm dual-wielding my SMG's!_

By now, a few of the pirates took notice of the obnoxious elite and began firing on him. N'tho leapt down from his perch behind another crate on the floor, waited a second for his shields to recharge, and then popped out of cover to unleash more plasma.

_I don't need the rockets to enable me to own._

_I'll dual-wield my SMG's and take you all alone!_

N'tho ducked back into cover, waited another second for his shields to recharge, then made a dash across open ground perpendicular to the pirates' position, SMG's blazing.

_I don't need grenades, a sniper or a sword!_

_My cases' rounds will take you out like Ghengis and his horde!_

_Cuz I'm dual-wielding my SMG's!_

_I'm gonna go on a killing spree!_

_You'd better not try to mess with me!_

_Cuz I'm dual-wielding my SMG's!_

Meanwhile, while Wrex and N'tho were flanking the pirates Chief, Ashley and Tali were advancing straight down the middle. It was slow going; firing, ducking back into cover, risking getting shot by vaulting over or roadie walking around your crate to take cover behind a crate that was further up. They were counting on Wrex and N'tho to thin out the pirates' numbers from the sides and make advancing easier.

Ashley was holding her own very well, as Chief expected. So well in fact, that it made Chief wonder how Ashley never got promoted past Gunnery Chief. He looked up her files and they were nigh-spotless. Damn good weapon scores, damn good CQC scores, the fact that she was still stuck on Eden Prime's colonial defense force was astounding to him. Surprisingly, Tali was no slouch either. While definitely not as combat proficient as Ashley or the Chief, she was doing a competent enough job with her shotgun, which was apparently her most preferred weapon. Additionally, she occasionally thrust out her omni-tool and, somehow, it temporarily disabled enemy shields and weapons, making Tali a good support unit. Perhaps he did underestimate her. Overall, the fight was going smoothly enough.

That was, up until he heard a roar. A roar that the spartan came to be intimately familiar with in the final days of the Human-Covenant War.

"Everyone, get down!" Chief yelped as he pulled Tali, who had been firing her shotgun, back into cover. Just in time, too. Seven spikes flew through the empty air that Tali's head had been in just seconds ago, embedding themselves in the crate behind them. The spikes smoked as the scent of burning hair filled the Chief's nostrils. Ashley peeked out.

"We've got a brute." she reported.

Of all the Covenant races, the Jiralhenae, aka brutes, were by far the most savage, the most aggressive and even the most sadistic. They quickly developed a truly terrifying reputation among the UNSC, mostly due to the rumors of what they did to prisoners. Traumatized marines would tell stories of how the brutes were cannibals and not only killed, but then ate any prisoners they captured alive. And they were the lucky ones. The ones who weren't so lucky were skinned alive. During the lesser-known Battle of Crassus, brutes skinned alive any Humans they captured, and broadcast their bloodcurdling screams over loudspeakers in an attempt to demoralize the defending Humans.

This merciless savagery was reflected in their weapons. While the weapons of the rest of Covenant were colorful and elegant, brute weaponry cared little for aesthetics. With weapons like the Type-2 antipersonnel fragmentation grenade, the Type-25 Carbine, and of course the infamous gravity hammer, brute weaponry seemed to be designed to not only kill the enemy, but do so in the nastiest and goriest way possible.

So, when Chief was told that brutes were NOT among the former Covenant races to make peace with Humans, he wasn't surprised. It wasn't easy to imagine them making peace with anyone. The spartan knew that he'd wind up in a fight with brutes again sooner or later, so at least he would be a little bit familiar with how to fight this one.

Superheated spikes continued to fly through the air, bringing the trio's advance to a dead stop. "Chief, I'm picking up eight hostiles. I think they're setting up some kind of heavy weapon." Cortana reported.

Chief peaked out of cover to see a pack of Unggoy busily setting up a very large looking M-80 mounted Revenant machine gun, a Batarian looking on with an evil look in his eyes. Tali peaked around the corner and noticed this as well and turned to the Chief.

"If you can draw their fire for a moment, I think I can disable that gun!" Tali yelled.

"Do it!" Chief yelled back before popping out of cover and unleashing a hail of fire on the brute, immediately catching the gorilla-like alien's attention. He ducked back into cover as spikes whizzed through the air, then blind fired as Tali pressed a few buttons on her omni-tool, then pointed it towards the machine gun. The omni-tool flashed white and whined for a second.

With a burst of smoke and sparks, the machine gun was rendered inoperable before the Unggoy coud even set it up. The Batarian yelled curses at them, but Tali whipped out a tech grenade and threw it. The blast took out the shields of the group, giving Tail the window she needed. Tali raised her assault rifle and fired on the Batarian. His body was convulsing from the bullets riddling his body before finally falling over when Tali released the trigger. The Quarian then set her sights on one of the Unggoy and fired, taking it down in short order before her rifle overheated.

"She killed Yapyap!" one of the Unggoy shouted as the half-dozen or so of them opened fire on Tali. She ducked back into cover and began typing on her omni-tool again. Her shields glowed as her overshield activated. She pressed a few more buttons and popped back out of cover to 'fire' an overload, rendering most of the Unggoy without their own shields. Tali raised her rifle and fired fully auto. Realizing how helpless they now were, the grunts went into a panic, yelping and waving their arms as they ran to cover. Tali managed to kill three before the other three made it back behind the crates again.

Meanwhile, one of the Human pirates was attempting a flanking maneuver. He ducked in one of the side aisles and took a peek. He noticed a plasma grenade just sitting there on the ground. He smiled. THAT could cause some damage. He rushed over to it.

_One left. One right. Firing at your head._

_Your quest for all the power weapons soon will leave you dead!_

The pirate turned to the source of the singing, only to receive a face full of hot green plasma. N'tho rushed out of the aisle and fired blindly at any pirates he saw.

_For crying out loud! You have an SMG!_

_They're free for all!_

_In a brawl!_

_They just might save your life!_

_Oh, I'm dual-wielding my SMG's!_

_I'm gonna goOOOOOOAAAAAAAHHHH!"_

N'tho soon found himself flung into the air by a biotic throw. The Asari Commander had officially entered the brawl. The elite flew through the air and then finally landed by Chief, Ashley and Tali. "Hey guys." he coughed.

"We need to take that Asari, Chief." Cortana said.

"Wrex? You there?" Chief asked over Team COM.

Wrex winked orange twice, the "wait a minute" signal.

What followed after that was the sound of more gunfire and an explosion. "He's going to beat out our little skulls, take off our backpacks and hump us with his big...Krogany...bupkiss!" an Unggoy screamed. More gunfire, and then another explosion.

Wrex then winked green, ready for orders.

"You're furthest ahead, Wrex. Attack them from the rear. Get the Asari's attention."

Wrex winked green.

The old Krogan wrapped himself in another barrier before beginning his attack. He whipped out his shotgun and began firing at anything that moved. The sight of a Krogan boldly advancing forward with shotgun in hand, blasting away, was a terrifying enough sight to send the pirates scurrying to the center of the warehouse. This was just as the Chief planned. Soon, they'd have the pirates surrounded.

However, the Asari soon took notice of the Krogan and took action. She hit Wrex with a warp. The Krogan cringed as he was pushed backwards, his feet dragging on the floor, but his barrier held. He continued to blast away with his shotgun, eventually bringing her shields down to zero. The Asari then biotically threw the Krogan into a wall, just as his barrier wore off. She took out her assault rifle and took aim.

*BANG*

Purple blood suddenly gushed out of a hole in her forehead as shock permanently painted her face. She fell off of the crate she was standing on, limp as a rag doll.

"Nice shot." Cortana said as Chief took his eye off the sights of his smoking sniper rifle.

Then, all the pirates suddenly ducked behind the crates they were hiding behind and stopped shooting. "We surrender! Just stop shooting!" one of the Turians said.

"Well..." Tali said. "That's good."

It didn't pass by Chief that this was the first time in his entire career that an enemy he was fighting actually did the smart thing and surrendered to a SPARTAN-II. Insurrectionists and of course the Covenant were usually too zealous in nature to consider surrender, but then again, he wasn't fighting Insurrectionists or Covenant. He was fighting pirates, who were generally a more cowardly sort.

The four of them rose out of cover, rifles pointed at the pirates who had their hands up in the air in the universal surrender gesture. Wrex had them covered from behind, his arms flaring with biotics in case his shotgun didn't do enough to dissuade them from trying anything funny. At that point, it seemed like the mission was more or less over and a success. Now they just had to round up the pirates and find Dahlia. However, Chief did a quick head count and quickly realized something wasn't right.

"Where's the brute?" he asked.

The spartan got his answer in the form of a roar as the brute barreled past Tali (who was quick enough to leap out of the way of the monster) and charged right into the Chief. Ashley and N'tho were knocked over as the brute held onto the spartan up until he slammed Chief into the far left wall. A grenade explosion from the pirates between the Chief and his compatriots kept them from lending aid and pinned them again. Several Unggoy, emboldened by the turned tables, tossed several plasma grenades at Wrex, forcing him to run back into cover. The Krogan wasn't that quick, but was just quick enough to avoid getting stuck.

Meanwhile, Chief suddenly found himself in close quarters combat. _Uncomfortably _close quarters combat. So close that a shotgun wasn't very practical and only his own fists seemed to be a viable option. The brute swung his spiker around, intent on cleaving something off with its nightmarish blades. The Chief just seemed to flow around him, the brute's movements being too slow to land a decent hit. But Jiralhenae were one of the few sentient races in the galaxy who, even without any augmentations of any sort, could take a licking from a SPARTAN-II and keep on ticking. Chief landed punch after punch, but if the brute was getting injured, the gorilla-like alien didn't show it. Between the brute's inability to hit the Chief and the Chief's inability to hurt the brute, it was a fairly even standoff between the two.

Up until the brute kicked the feet out from under Chief that is. It was a cheap move that the spartan immediately cursed himself for failing to see coming. Chief tried to get back up, but the brute stomped on his chest, slamming him back down. The monster aimed his spiker right at the spartan's head, a sadistic grin on his face.

However, before he could pull the trigger, his shields suddenly flashed, then fizzled, sparks flying off his armor. He looked at his armor, confused as to why he no longer had shields.

Chief then heard a high-pitched, primal shriek of a war cry.

"AH-YIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYI!"

Out of seemingly nowhere, Tali rushed up to the brute, stopped, aimed her shotgun, and fired. The round went right into the brute's shoulder, blood flying out of his shoulder and a roar of pain flying out of his mouth. Tali then fired her shotgun a second time, into the brute's other shoulder. Then a third into his chest. And then a fourth, once again, into his chest. By this point, the brute's foot was off of Chief's chest. A fifth blast to the brute's chest and her shotgun overheated.

Brutes were durable creatures though so, despite several shotgun blasts, the savage was still standing, albeit barely. Tali quicky amended that by whipping out her pistol and unloading it on the Jiralhenae's face, practically at point blank. The hate-filled monster's face became bloodier and more distorted with every shot fired. Finally, after twenty-one shots, the great brute roared no longer, falling to the floor in a great big lifeless heap.

Tali put away her pistol, then turned to the spartan. "Not bad for a civvie, huh?" she smugly asked.

"Of course you realize, she is _never _going to let you live this down." Cortana quickly observed.

Then, a snuffling sound was heard, and Tali spun around and aimed her shotgun at a group of five Unggoy who were trying to get the jump on her. The grunts instantly put their hands up.

"Your weapons. Toss them over here. Now." Tali ordered in a no-nonsense tone. The terrified grunts did as they were told. "Your grenades too." she added. Again, the grunts obeyed and tossed all their unused grenades at the Quarian's feet...all but one. Tali aimed down the sights of her shotgun and aimed at this grunt in particular. "_All _of them." she hissed.

The Unggoy she was aiming at gulped in a suddenly dry throat. He took his grenade out of his belt, and his thumb hovered over the detonator. This didn't go unnoticed by his comrades. "No, Jubjub!" one of his terrified compatriots pleaded in a low voice. "Don't be a hero! Just do what the scary suit lady says!"

Jubjub gulped and, ultimately, followed his comrade's advice, tossing the unarmed plasma grenade at Tali's feet. "Good." the Quarian said.

"Chief, you alright?" Ashley asked as she jogged over as the spartan got up and dusted himself off.

"I'm fine. Where are Wrex and N'tho?" Chief asked.

"N'tho's rounding up the remaining prisoners." the marine reported. "Wrex is upstairs looking for Dahlia."

"I'll herd these prisoners over to join with N'tho's." Tali said. She turned to the grunts. "Move it." she coldly ordered. The Unggoy obeyed and shuffled along, not wishing to upset the terrifying Quarian.

"Chief. I found something. And you're not going to like it." Wrex's voice reported over team COM. Chief sighed.

"On my way." the spartan replied. And with that, he made his way further down the aisle, up a staircase and onto the balcony. He walked through a door that led to an office of some kind. Wrex was at the desk, looking at the computer. The Krogan noticed the Chief coming in, and gestured for the Chief to look at the screen. Chief took a look.

_/access sent message logs_

_To: Nassana Dantius_

_From: UNKNOWN_

_Hello, Nassana. It's me, Dahlia. How've you been?_

_You're probably wondering why I'm e-mailing you. After all, you and the rest of the family DID disown me two hundred years ago after I announced my differing choice in career. Even went so far as to erase me. My accounts, my computer's hard drive, even my birth certificate. All gone. Very impressive._

_Why yes, I AM bitter about it. How'd you guess?_

_Alright, here's the thing. I've run into some trouble with a band of arms dealers. I'll spare you the details. All you need to know is, I need a million credits NOW, and you look to be my best option You've got a week to pay me via the account provided in this message._

_If you don't pay me in the time alloted, I've got a program on my computer that will send everything I have; old accounts, computer's hard drive, my birth certificate, everything you THOUGHT was gone that pretty much confirms that you're a blood relative of a slaver who's been terrorizing the Artemis Tau Cluster. Bet your new Sangheili buddies wouldn't look too kindly on THAT would they?_

_Love ya sis!_

_-Dahlia_

Chief's hand balled into a fist. Then, he punched the wall closest to him, leaving a noticeable dent. He'd been manipulated. Nassana Dantius, playing the role of someone in need, took advantage of his sense of ethics and tricked him into becoming her personal hitman. His gut was telling him something about this mission didn't feel right, and he should've listened.

"Go help the others." Chief ordered the Krogan. "I'll wrap things up here." Wrex nodded and left the room to help the others round up prisoners as well as search the crates for anything useful.

...

Before leaving, the team locked the remaining pirates inside their own warehouse and marked the area with a beacon. The Sangheili Empire would head on down to the planet, apprehend the pirates, and put them through their version of due process. Considering that the Arbiter was literally branded a heretic just for being supposedly incompetent, Chief did not envy those pirates for whatever grisly fate awaited them.

Chief headed down to Deck 3 to find it mostly empty. Garrus, Ashley and Requisitions Officer Lawrence were all off-duty. While Wrex was up on Deck 2 glaring at everyone in mess hall. The only one down there was Tali, who was practicing her shooting on the holographic dummies. Chief grabbed a pistol loaded with holographic rounds from the table and joined her.

A tense silence hung in the air between the two. Cortana was back in Chief's quarters, surfing the extranet and studying the codex, but told Chief about the holographic shooting gallery that Ashley had set up in the garage, and how it might be a good way to kill time. That, and she also nagged him about how he should try to apologize to Tali. Again. Chief didn't think much of it, thinking that Tali would be in engineering and that he probably wouldn't even see her while she was down there, so why talk to her? However, Tali was apparently off-duty herself at the moment. Not only that, but it was just he and her at the shooting range. Chief was beginning to wonder if the universe was trying to tell him something.

"...Nice work down there today." Chief said, finally breaking the silence.

"Oh really?" Tali asked.

"Yeah really." Chief said as he shot a dummy in the head. "You were not only surprisingly good with guns, but you also had a very useful bag of tricks in that omni-tool that ended up being a real asset. That, and you were very commanding when you were collecting those prisoners."

"They were Unggoy." Tali said. "It doesn't really take much to intimidate them." She paused, then lowered her pistol. "Wait...are you apologizing?"

"No." Chief answered matter-of-factly. But the Quarian wasn't buying it.

"My, that answer came awfully fast." Tali said with that smug tone of hers again.

"Because it was the truth." Chief said as a new dummy illuminated into being.

"Whatever you say." Tali said. "So...now what?"

"What do you mean?" Chief asked.

"Sharjila was my chance to prove myself. So, does this mean I'm a part of your team now?"

"Yes." Chief said as he fired at the new dummy's head. Instant kill.

"R-really?" Tali stuttered a moment. "I mean, that answer came awfully fast..."

"Once again; because it was the truth." Chief stated.

"...Thank you." Tali said.

Chief smiled a little despite himself. Tali resumed her own target practice. Another few moments of silence. Then, a thought occurred to the Chief that, for some reason, he decided to voice openly.

"What kind of training you said you had?" Chief asked.

"Basic self-defense. Every Quarian gets it before heading off to pilgrimage." Tali replied.

"Huh." Chief said as he fired another few rounds.

"What?" Tali asked.

"Well, I was just thinking." Chief began. "If charging headfirst into a brute and then shooting him in the face at point blank range is a Quarian's idea of basic self-defense, I'd hate to get into a fight with actual Quarian military."

Tali burst out laughing at that. "Indeed you would." she said in between giggles once her laughter died down a little. "Indeed you would."

Chief smiled again. And that's when it occurred to him. He cracked a joke with Tali. He never did that with any non-spartan before, let alone a non-Human. He was starting to _like _Tali. Not tolerate, but genuinely like, even though she's an alien.

He remembered the Arbiter back during the Human-Covenant war; how the Sangheili were betrayed by the brutes and prophets and sided with the UNSC in the very last act of the war. The Arbiter fought beside the Chief and watched his back, and Chief watched the Arbiter's in turn. He tolerated the elite at first, and then eventually grew to respect him. But he never really got to like him. He never really got to see him as a friend. He supposed it was because the Arbiter and his race had simply done too much harm to humanity; such crimes are not easily forgiven or forgotten.

But this feisty young Quarian was different. He supposed the fact that the Quarians never did humanity ever harm was a big point in her favor. Then again, she was infinitely more annoying then the Arbiter. At leas the Arbiter did not insist on proving himself a worthy ally in the spartan's eyes. But Tali felt like she had something to prove and damned if anyone, even the Master Chief, was going to ignore her. Chief knew a few kids like that during basic training. He always did kind of liked them, if only because they displayed the same refusal to give up or fail that Chief himself had. He couldn't help but respect that kind of dogged persistence in them, and it seemed he had come to respect it in Tali. Hell, maybe even like her a little.

And so it was that, while the Arbiter was the first alien that Chief could call an ally, it was actually Tali'Zorah nar Rayya who was the first alien that Chief could honestly call a friend.

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): JIRALHENAE**

_In the era of the Covenant, the Jiralhenae and the Sangheili have long been at odds with each other, constantly competing for the favor of the San'Shyuum, the Covenant's ruling species. The San'Shyuum eventually made their decision on who to favor, ordering the Jiralhenae to wipe out the Sangheili, as the Sangheili's competence and faith have recently been called into question. This lead to the Sangheili siding with the UNSC and eventually emerging triumphant over their Jiralhenae foes at the Battle of Installation 00._

_The Great Schism went on for seven more years until the Jiralhenae and remaining San'Shyuum were pushed to the Jiralhenae homeworld of Doisac, where roughly half of the Jiralhenae in the galaxy reside to this day, as the Sangheili Empire maintains a quarantine fleet in the planet's orbit. The other half of the Jiralhenae population became pirates that terrorized the other species of the Forerunner Cluster._

_Today, most of these pirate Jiralhenae fled into the Terminus Systems soon after the First Contact War reached its conclusion. Their savagery and violence rivaled only by the Krogan, the Jiralhenae have quickly gained an infamous reputation for attacking any poorly-protected ships in the Attican Traverse without provocation. Survivors of these attacks are few._

...

**And there we go. And for those of you who don't know what song N'tho was singing, just copy and paste the following link into your address search bar thingy.**

.com/watch?v=6SmuVh4637


	15. A Talk over Target Practice

**Yeah Yeah. May 21st has come and gone since the last update, which means I could not, in fact, update this fic before doomsday.**

...

0655 Hours, February 29th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Vadum system, Artemis Tau cluster

...

"Councilors." Chief said as he addressed the images of the Citadel Council before him in the comm room. It was roughly 0700 hours, not two hours after Chief got up and not two hours away from the relay that would take them out of the Artemis Tau Cluster did Joker suddenly let Chief know that he had a call from the Council waiting for him. So, the spartan dressed himself up in his finest suit of armor and took the call.

"Master Chief, we understand that you're still currently on route back to the Citadel, which would mean that you will soon be passing through the Hades Gamma Cluster, if you're not already." Valern began.

"We'll be entering it in roughly an hour. Something I should look into there?" Chief asked.

"Possibly." Tevos said. "On the planet Trebin in the Antaeus System, Exogeni Corp has started a terraforming campaign to make the planet hospitable for possible colonization. However, one of their survey teams disappeared early yesterday."

"We have a theory that the Geth may be involved." Valern said. "Our STG feelers across the Attican Traverse had reason to suspect that there may have been Geth activity in the Hades Gamma Cluster."

"In addition, there are confirmed Prothean ruins on the planet." Sparatus added. "Small ruins, mind you. But Prothean nonetheless. Between his attacks on Eden Prime and Therum, and the fact that the conduit is likely a Prothean artifact, it makes sense that Saren would be interested in worlds that may yield Prothean relics."

"Keep in mind, this is mostly speculation on our part." Valern said. "There's no _real _evidence that Saren was involved in the survey team's disappearance. But, given it's conveniently right on your route back here, we advise that you may wish to look into it."

"I'll look into any lead I can." Chief replied with a nod.

"We'll expect a full mission report within the next couple of days." Sparatus said. "Oh...and do try to avoid blowing anything up this time."

And with that, the three of them vanished. Chief furrowed his brow in distaste. Tevos and Valern were fair enough to him, but Sparatus was-

"What an ass." Cortana said.

Chief cracked a smile. "Took the words right out of my brain." the spartan said.

...

The _Normandy _was a small ship, so it didn't take long for word to spread that they would be making a slight detour on their way back to the Citadel. They were now bound for the planet Trebin, on which an ExoGeni survey team disappeared, and Saren may or may not be involved. According to Pressly, they'd arrive at the planet sometime later that evening. Chief thought it best to do some research in the meantime.

He first studied ExoGeni Corp, a company the spartan had never heard of. Apparently, it was an interstellar company that specialized in the exploration and colonization of other worlds, and turned a profit via minerals, Prothean artifacts, exotic new organisms, any kind of resource a planet might have. They were making a killing after the discovery of the Forerunner Relay, tagging several planets in the Attican Traverse for colonization. Most of these planets were either turning a profit, or soon would. Thirty years later, the company is still going strong as they now have several viable colonies in the traverse and more than a few more in the process of being built.

Trebin was one of their newest projects. It was an arid world with an unbreathable atmosphere of nitrogen and argon. However, atmospheric pressure, gravity, and temperature were all well within Human survivability, still making Trebin a good colonization candidate. All it really needed was water, which was painfully scarce on Trebin's surface. Terraforming a planet like this was simple really. All you really needed to do was hit a few 'sweet spots' on the surface with water-ice comets and you've got water. ExoGeni already did a test impact of such a comet and, while no liquid water has formed yet, the water from the comet has entered the atmosphere in the form of water vapor and clouds have begun to form. So far, their terraforming efforts seem promising.

ExoGeni deployed several survey teams to the surface to monitor the geological and meteorological effects of the impact. Every survey team has reported good results, all except one that didn't report anything at all. Chief will soon be going in to find out why.

After researching all that, Chief told Cortana that he'll be heading down to the shooting gallery down in the garage. He made a note to thank Ashley for getting that. It has been a great way for the Chief to kill some time ever since it was first brought on board. Sure, the distances made it nowhere near challenging, but hey, at least his trigger finger was getting a decent workout. At the very least, it was preferable to being cooped up in his quarters the whole trip.

When the elevator door opened, he saw that, unfortunately, the shooting gallery wasn't exactly empty. Wrex, Garrus and N'tho were all making use of it. Well, Wrex and Garrus were making use of it. N'tho was just standing off to the side going on about something. The elite turned to the spartan and smiled. "Yo, Chief! Wassup man?"

"...Not much." Chief said. He was still off-put by just how Human N'tho sounded.

"N'tho was just telling us about how he and his unit took down some pirate group back in the Artemis Tau." Garrus said as he made another flawless headshot on the holo-dummy. "You were saying, N'tho?"

"Right, as I was saying." N'tho said. "I escaped the garbage compactor JUST as it activated, and managed to sneak up on the pirates while they had the rest of my squad pinned. You should've seen the look on that one Kig-Yar's face when he saw me. He was all like 'N'tho! I thought you were dead!' And then I was like 'You thought wrong!' And then I was like BLAMMO! Kiss my needlestick! Pirates were caught between me and the rest of my unit; not a single one of them walked away." He followed up the story with an evil-sounding cackle.

"...Cut back on the coffee, N'tho." Chief said. "That's an order."

The elite looked puzzled. "You know, not many Sangheili drink coffee. How did you know I did?"

"Educated guess." Chief replied simply and honestly.

"Well, uh, sure thing. Sir." N'tho said with a pressed fist to his chest. He turned to Garrus. "So, what about you Garrus?"

"Me?" the Turian asked.

"Yeah. Former C-Sec right? Bet you've got a few good stories to tell." The elite said as he retook his position at the shooting gallery. Chief grabbed a pistol and started setting up a dummy of his own.

"Well..." Garrus said in deep thought. "There was this one...disturbing case I worked."

"Go on..." N'tho encouraged. Chief took his spot at the shooting range and began unloading his pistol on the dummy.

"I was tasked with tracking black market trade on the Citadel. Most of it was harmless. Nothing I felt like I really needed to pursue. But, during the course of my investigation, I noticed an increase in the trade of body parts. Organs, mostly. We usually get a few of those, but not the numbers I was seeing. We weren't sure if there was a new black market lab or if some freak was harvesting organs from citizens."

"Wow. Nasty." N'tho commented. Chief silently agreed. He once read how, back in his day, organ trading wasn't that rare in the outer colonies. Their economy was so poor, some people were willing to sell a kidney just to pay for their mortgage.

"I mean, I heard about that kind of stuff in the vids, but does it really happen that often?" N'tho asked.

"Not _terribly _often." Garrus replied. "But every once in a while, some lab sells unwanted parts through the black market. But they're not as bad as the psychos. I remember this one Elcor diplomat we caught in my first year on the job. He was hacking people up and selling their organs. Had the station in a bit of a panic."

"Hehehe, I remember that." Wrex chuckled. "People are funny when they're scared shitless."

"Yeah, but this case wasn't as clear cut as the Elcor's. We found out there was more going on than we first realized." Garrus went on.

"So how did you find out who dunnit?" N'tho pressed.

"Well, first we got a hold of a sample and ran DNA tests. The weird part was, the match led us to a Turian who was still alive and was very convinced he'd never lost his liver. After a bit of digging, I discovered he worked briefly for a Salarian geneticist named Dr. Saleon. So, I went to his lab, hoping to find evidence of cloned organ development. But there was nothing. No Salarian hearts, no Turian livers, not one Krogan testicle."

Krogan testicle. At the uttering of the phrase, N'tho's eyes went wide with shock. Wrex grunted in displeasure. Garrus noticed N'tho's shock. "I should explain. You see, some Krogan-"

"No no!" N'tho interrupted as he raised both hands in the 'stop' gesture. "I don't wanna know. I can already tell it's one of those things that I'm better off not knowing. Please continue."

"Er, okay." the Turian replied. "Anyway, I brought in some of Saleon's employees for interrogation, to see if I could get them to talk. While I was...'interviewing' one of them, I came across something suspicious." The pause at 'interviewing' didn't slip by the Chief's ears. Apparently, Garrus had a very flexible interpretation of legal rights in his law enforcement career.

"One of my detainees started bleeding profusely during the interview. We offered to patch him up and he got frantic. Totally freaked out. I ordered a full exam to find out what was going on. Our medics found incisions all over his body. Some of them fresh. That was our big break. These people weren't just Dr. Saleon's employees. They were his test tubes. Walking, living test tubes."

That shocking revelation was enough to bring Chief's focus away from the firing range and towards Garrus. "This guy was growing organs _inside _people?" he asked.

"Exactly." Garrus nodded at the spartan. "He cloned their organs right inside their own bodies. Then he harvested them and sold them off. Most of the victims were poor. He'd pay them each a small percentage of the sales, but only if the organs were good. Sometimes, an organ wouldn't grow properly, so he'd just leave it in them. Most of them were a mess, but only on the inside - hidden so nobody could see it."

Chief felt himself getting goosebumps. ONI ran some ethically sketchy science projects back during the Human-Covenant war. In fact, he was a product of one of the more successful projects. But ONI never did anything that sick. At least, not to the spartan's knowledge.

"Damn." N'tho said. "So, how much time did he get?"

Chief heard the smallest growl escape from the Turian's throat. "That's the worst part. We never caught him."

"What? Why not?" N'tho said.

"He ran. Blew his lab, grabbed some of his employees and headed for the nearest space dock. By the time I found out, his ship was already leaving. He threatened to kill his hostages if we tried to stop him."

"Then what?" N'tho pressed. By now, the elite was fully involved in Garrus's story.

"I ordered Citadel Defense to shoot him down. But C-Sec headquarters countermanded my orders. They were worried about the hostages. Worried about civilian casualties if the ship was destroyed so close to the Citadel. I told them those hostages were dead anyway. He'd just use them to make more organs. But they wouldn't listen. They sent the military after him, but he got away just the same."

He paused. "I remember going up to Pallin's office and telling him what I thought of him and his policies. He said if I didn't like it, I could quit. I almost did."

"And here you are." Wrex pointed out.

Garrus sighed and nodded. "That IS pretty much why I'm here. I wanna help take down Saren, but I didn't want to be restricted by policies and procedures. Saren certainly isn't worried about rules, so why should we?"

"We'll take him down." Chief said. "But if I can help it, I'd like to _avoid _shooting down a ship full of hostages."

"Er...of course Chief." Garrus replied.

"So, did you ever find out what happened to this Saleon guy?" N'tho asked.

"I sent out feelers from time to time, hoping to find something. I thought I found him a while back. He'd changed ships and changed his name to Dr. Heart - his idea of a joke, I guess. I told the military, but they weren't convinced." Garrus sighed. "I got the transponder frequency for his new ship...which apparently hasn't left Korlus for seven months."

"Korlus?" Chief asked.

"It's a planet out in the Terminus Systems. The whole planet is basically one big graveyard for ships. Saleon probably ditched his old ship and got himself a new one. I don't know where he is now." Garrus explained. It was clear to see that this story of 'the one that got away' was disheartening for him.

"Huh." N'tho replied. "Well...good story." the elite then turned to the spartan. "How about you Chief?"

"Me?" Chief asked.

"Yeah. Come on, twenty seven years fighting the Covenant? Don't tell me you haven't got a few stories to tell." N'tho said.

"...I'm not really the 'story-telling' type." Chief replied.

"Oh come on. Nothing particularly cool? Nothing really stick out in your mind?" N'tho asked.

Chief just shrugged in reply as he lined up another shot.

"Oh! I know! Why don't ya tell us about Halo?" N'tho suggested.

Chief paused. "Halo?" he asked.

"Yeah. You know. Forerunner construct. Shaped like a big ring. Had a lot of creatures called 'Flood' on it. And, of course, could wipe out every sentient being in the galaxy!" N'tho said.

"Don't tell me you actually believe that last part." Garrus said.

"It could!" N'tho insisted. "Halo was just one of seven Halo's strewn throughout the galaxy, and the Ark would automatically build new Halo's to replace destroyed or damaged ones. The UNSC covered it up so the truth wouldn't cause a panic."

The Turian shook his head. "That's just a conspiracy theory. Halo might've been strategically important and had some pretty nasty life-forms on them, but you're telling me that it could let you wipe the entire galaxy of all sentient life with just the push of a button?"

"Yeah." N'tho said with a nod.

"That's stupid." Garrus said. "First of all, what does it fire? Energy? Plasma? Second, how does it specifically target _sentient _life? Third, why would the Forerunners even BUILD something like that? Fourth -"

"Uh, hello? In case you haven't noticed, we're trying to stop a rogue spectre from getting his mitts on something that can bring back the Reapers who, upon their return, will wipe out all sentient life. So, let me see if I follow your logic here. Ancient Forerunner superweapons are implausible. But an ancient race of sentient machines? Oh yeah. You could buy THAT."

"To be honest with you, I don't. Not entirely." Garrus responded. "As far as I'm concerned, we've yet to really discover anything that confirms the Reapers' existence. All we know for certain is that, if Saren does get to the conduit before we do, something very bad will happen."

The elite shook his head. Then turned to the spartan. "What about you, Chief? You were on Halo. You should know more about it than either of us."

Chief paused.

"...Garrus is right. Halo was a Forerunner construct that served as a lab for the Forerunners to study the Flood. The Covenant, while exploring the site, accidentally released the Flood, meaning we had to destroy it. Halo never had the capability of wiping out all sentient life in the galaxy."

Chief knew protocol. There was a reason ONI hid the truth, and he wasn't going to argue with that.

"What?" N'tho asked, not quite believing it.

"Told you." Garrus deadpanned. His mandibles leaned back a bit, indicating the Turian equivalent of a smile. N'tho's own mandibles formed the Sangheili equivalent of a scowl as he glared daggers at Garrus.

"Alright, fine." N'tho admitted. He seemed to be more upset with being wrong than anything else. He turned to Chief. "Did you at least do anything cool on Halo?"

Chief just looked at N'tho.

"...I've killed at least a couple hundred of your kind on Halo, N'tho. I watched a recording of a unit of good marines being viciously attacked and infected by the Flood, which was by no means a pleasant thing to watch. Captain Jacob Keyes, one of, if not THE finest spatial tactician I had ever known, was turned into a Flood brain and I had to rip neural implants out of his head in order to get clearance to activate the _Pillar of Autumn's _self-destruct sequence so that Halo could be destroyed. Only five other people survived the destruction of Halo, out of the hundreds that made up the _Pillar of Autumn's _crew, and three of them died on the way back to Earth. That cool enough for you, N'tho?"

"...Yeah. That's...cool enough." N'tho meekly replied. Chief smirked a little. It felt good to put the squidhead in his place. "So...how about you Wrex? What's your story?" N'tho quickly asked the Krogan, wishing to change subjects.

"...There's no story." Wrex growled out as he fired his shotgun. The dummy's torso lit up a bright shade of red. "Go invite the Quarian if you want stories."

"Aw come on Dinofrog. Not you too." N'tho replied. "Krogan live for centuries right? You had to have had a few good adventures."

Wrex lowered his shotgun and rubbed his chin in thought. "Well..." he said. "There was this one time the Turians almost wiped out my entire species." He turned to Garrus. "That was fun."

"...I'm...going to go up to mess hall." Garrus quickly said. "I'm feeling...peckish all of a sudden." And with that, the Turian quickly made for the elevator and rode up to deck 2. Wrex smirked smugly.

"I can relate." the Master Chief said. Wrex turned to him and just raised an eyebrow. "Covenant. They glassed over most of our colony worlds, including Reach. But we eventually won that war and have since recovered."

"...It's not the same." Wrex replied.

"Well, maybe not exactly the same, but-"

"So the Covenant infected YOUR people with a genetic mutation?" Wrex snapped, interrupting the Chief's statement. "An infection that makes only a few in a thousand survive birth? One that's destroying YOUR entire race?"

"...I'm gonna go see if Tali needs my help." N'tho quickly said as he jogged down to Engineering. N'tho was about as mechanically inclined as a sack of wet mice, but then again, Chief surmised that Garrus probably wasn't really that hungry. In any case, the Chief and the Krogan were now all alone with each other.

"...I guess it isn't the same." Chief admitted.

"I don't expect you to understand, but don't compare your species' past plights with the Krogan." Wrex growled.

Chief sighed. Once again, THIS is why he doesn't talk to people. Conversational skills aren't his strong suit. "Look, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Your ignorance doesn't upset me, Chief." Wrex said as he resumed his stance as a new dummy loaded up. "As for the Krogan, I gave up on them long ago. The genophage infected us, but it's not what's killing us." He unloaded a round right into the dummy's skull.

"So...this 'genophage.' How does it work?" Chief replied.

"Ask the Salarians if you want details. They made it." Wrex answered. "All I know; it makes breeding nearly impossible. Thousands die in stillbirth. And most never get that far. Every Krogan is infected. Every damn one. And no one's rushing to find a cure."

"Not even your own people?" Chief asked.

"My own people? You mean find the cure ourselves?" Wrex asked. "When was the last time YOU saw a Krogan scientist? You ask a Krogan whether he'd rather find a cure for the genophage or fight for credits, he'll choose fighting every time."

"Why?"

"Because we're not scientists. We're warriors. We _want _to fight. So we leave. Hire ourselves out. And most of us...never go back."

Chief shook his head. "You'd think more Krogan would be interested in at least trying to preserve what's left of the species. Fend off extinction."

"Kind of like how _your _race fought tooth and nail against the Covenant, even when you were down on your hands and knees bleeding? And how you eventually rose to meet the challenge and emerge victorious?" Wrex patronizingly asked.

"We had to keep fighting if we wanted a future." Chief pointed out.

"Well, therein lies the real difference between our two races, huh?" Wrex asked. "We're not as optimistic as you are. We don't see any reason to fight for our future. There _is _no future for us. 'Kill, pillage and be selfish, for tomorrow we die.' Forsan Korm."

"Forsan Korm?" Chief asked.

"Old Krogan warlord. Died raiding a Turian colony a few years after saying that." Wrex elaborated.

Chief only nodded in reply. He thought to ask Wrex a few more questions. Why did the Turians and Salarians use the genophage to begin with? Why do the Krogan feel like they don't have a future? However, he noted that the conversation topic had put Wrex into a rather foul mood, and wisely decided to stay silent for the next five minutes or so. The two of them continued their target practice. Then, he decided to call it quits and take the elevator back up to deck 2. Wrex probably wanted to be alone for a while anyway.

...

Chief went back to his quarters and started doing some research on the Krogan to get the whole story behind the genophage.

The trouble started during the Rachni Wars. The Citadel races made less-than-peaceful contact with an insectoid race called the Rachni some two thousand years ago. In fact, this was the reason that activating dormant relays is outlawed in Citadel Space; activating a dormant relay is exactly how the Citadel races met the Rachni in the first place.

Things were going bad until the Salarians discovered the Krogan, who were then a pre-space flight race confined to their homeworld which was suffering from a nuclear winter of the Krogans' own making (something that should've been taken as the first warning sign of what the Krogan would bring). The Salarians, taking note of the Krogans' skill in battle, decided to uplift the species and use them as foot soldiers against the Rachni.

Ever since he first fought one, Chief knew that Krogan were indeed one of the few sentient species to be physically on par with a SPARTAN-II, but he had no idea just how similar their roles had once been. Just like the spartans in the Human-Covenant War, the Krogan ended up turning the tide against a seemingly invincible enemy, accomplishing feats that were once thought impossible. However, that's where the similarities ended.

The war eventually concluded with the extinction of the Rachni. Harsh, but most likely necessary, Chief thought. In gratitude, the council gave the Krogan several worlds to call their own and they were held in high esteem for a while. However, one thing that the council did not factor in was the Krogan's birthrate.

Due to the ridiculously hostile biosphere that Tuchanka had prior to its nuclear winter, the Krogan had to evolve many traits just to keep their race from going extinct. These traits included; a tough hide, a resistance to toxins, at least one back-up for every major organ, and most notably, an extremely high birthrate. Now, free of Tuchanka's hostile ecosystem to thin their numbers, the Krogan were free to breed like rabbits and consequently found themselves facing an overpopulation crisis. Seeing no other alternative, they began invading worlds belonging to other citadel species. The Krogan Rebellions had begun.

Things were going bad for the citadel races. No matter how many casualties the Krogan suffered, their high birthrate ensured that there would always be fresh replacements ready to fight. Thankfully, that all changed soon after the Citadel races made first contact with the Turian Hierarchy. The Turians had the Salarians develop the genophage, and then the Turians deployed it. Deprived of their biggest advantage, the Krogan's defeat was all but inevitable. Save for a few holdouts, the Krogan surrendered. They were then stripped of their embassy and the Turians were given a seat on the council as a reward for their efforts.

Since the end of that war, the Krogan have become scattered across the galaxy, most of them becoming mercenaries. They have no organized government, the closest thing they have to one being a hundred or so clans back on Tuchanka, who are in a constant state of war with one another.

Chief was starting to see why Wrex thought his race had no future, and why fighting for one was pointless. When the Covenant glassed Human-controlled worlds one-by-one, at least Humans could retaliate, no matter how badly they were losing. They could still make weapons. They could still replace the fallen. They could keep on fighting.

But the Krogan? They couldn't even do that much. Their defeat was absolute. Their military doctrine and chain of command were completely shattered. Without replacements, there was no chance of successful retaliation, at least not without insufferable casualties that would be nearly impossible to recover from. As for why the Krogan don't find a cure for themselves, it was as Wrex said; his kind were warriors. Not scientists. Sure, a few Krogan might have at least tried to find a cure on their own, but they were probably less than successful, not being as scientifically savvy as other races.

The saddest part though was that ultimately, the genophage really was the right thing to do. If the Turians hadn't deployed it, the Krogan would've continued their rampage across the galaxy and would've eventually reached Earth. During the rebellions, Humans had only just developed gun powder, so they would've had no chance against a Krogan invasion.

"You feel sorry for Wrex and his kind. Don't you?" Cortana asked.

"A little." Chief confessed. He had fought the Covenant for over twenty years. He saw them kill a lot of good friends. Yet, in all that time, not once did it ever occur to Chief to inflict a painfully slow genocide on them. He supposed that was because he was just a gun on the front lines. It wasn't his job to think about long-term strategies.

"Er, Chief? You there?" Joker's voice came through the comm-link on the spartan's desktop.

"Yes?" Chief asked.

"We have a situation up on the CIC. You may want to get up here."

...

"What is it?" Chief asked the moment he stepped out the door into the CIC. Pressly walked up to him and saluted.

"We've found a ship adrift, sir. Modular conveyor, Kowloon-class. Checked the ship's registry; _MSV Ontario_. We're attempting radio contact with her crew now." The XO reported.

"What are they doing out here?" Chief asked after returning the salute.

"We don't know, sir." Pressly said with a shrug. "We can only assume they were charting the nearby Farinata system. We won't know for sure until we contact them."

"I can access audio transmissions from here on the CIC, right?" Chief asked.

"Yes sir." Pressly replied.

"Good." the spartan said as he ascended the ramp that gave him elevation above the galaxy map. "Once we establish radio contact, I'll speak with them directly."

"Aye aye, sir." Pressly crisply stated.

Master Chief was actually secretly glad about this. Rescuing a charter ship that was damaged or out of fuel might not have been the most glamorous thing he'd ever done, but he was starting to get bored again. Whatever kills the time, right?

Chief waited for a bit as he observed several servicemen fiddling with buttons at the CIC, and several more doing the same thing in the 'trenches' of the bridge. Eventually, Joker's voice came. "Radio contact has been established. Start talking whenever you're ready, Chief."

"This is Alliance vessel _SSV Normandy_. We understand that your ship is-"

"Well well well. Alliance marines at last. We were wondering when you'd get here." the voice replied. "See how it is? You write letters and everyone ignores you. Force is the only thing people appreciate!"

Chief was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Alright. Here's how it's going to go. You do what _we _want, and Chairman Burns lives." the voice said.

"Please! I was trying to help you people!" another voice cried out. It was followed by a sickening whacking sound.

"We want the subcommittee to...'reconsider' our request for reparations to all L2 biotics. For a start. You have ten minutes to discuss it with whoever." And with that, the transmission cut off.

A stunned silence settled on the _Normandy's_ CIC. But it only lasted a moment as Chief sprung into action. He turned to Pressly. "Pressly. Tell Williams, Alenko and Wrex to suit up. We've stumbled into a hostage situation."

...

Thruster Packs, or T-Packs as they were often nicknamed, had changed little in the century and a half since the Human-Covenant war, save for a welcome new safety feature. They still have two tanks of compressed triamino hydrazine, but the addition of eezo-powered kinetic barriers vastly decreased the likelihood of rupture, and by proxy rapid loss of control. Many a soldier (including two fellow spartans) had been lost to T-pack failure during long-range deep-space operations, so Chief was glad he wouldn't have to worry about that. He had enough things to worry about.

Outfitting Kaidan and Ashley with T-Packs was easy enough. Wrex? Funny thing about Wrex. Chief thought they would have to jerry-rig a T-pack onto him, but it turned out he actually had brought his own T-pack, custom-made for use by a Krogan, just in case. Say what you will about the mercenary, but he always comes prepared.

Chief didn't know much about the exact situation, but he knew enough; biotic terrorists had kidnapped a VIP and were holding him hostage. Their objective; get in, get the hostage, and get out. Standard rescue. He was bringing Kaidan and Wrex with him, the two of them being the only biotics on the ship fully trained for combat, and thus the only two soldiers under his command that could effectively fight biotics. Ashley would be coming as well for combat back up.

The four of them assembled in the airlock. They heard the hissing of atmosphere leaving the room. The door then opened, revealing the blackness of space, with nothing to fill it but the light of far away stars and the floating ship that was the _MSV Ontario_ situated ahead of and 'below' them.

"Follow my lead. Stay tight." Chief ordered before casually stepping out of the airlock and into nothingness. The rest followed and they found themselves slowly floating forward. They oriented themselves into the positions they need to take in order to go in the desired direction and activated their T-packs.

They began to slowly 'descend' onto the _Ontario_. Chief had did a little studying on Kowloon-class freighters in his recently-all-too-abundant free time, and knew how tricky this would be. Kowloon freighters typically had see-through glass floors and ceilings in the passenger and cargo compartments, which meant they had to land on a small blind spot on the roof where no one in the ship could look out and see them. If the terrorists did see them, there was nothing really that they could do to stop them, but they might kill the hostage. Chief would prefer to avoid taking that kind of risk.

After what seemed like hours of slowly and quietly drifting through space, they were finally coming up on the blind spot. Chief's visor zoomed in on the sunroofs. He could see some activity in the ship's interior; it looked like the biotics were arming themselves. They were expecting a fight. Fortunately, it didn't seem like they noticed the squad yet. As they reached the roof, they all gently landed on it hands first, their feet dangling upwards. They all then pushed off of roof with their hands in such a way that they spun in mid 'air.' When their feet were perfectly level with the roof, they activated their magnetic clamps. Their boots zipped to the roof as though gravity had taken over.

"Status." Chief ordered. Kaidan, Ashley and Wrex all winked green. Chief looked around for a way in. Sadly, this blind spot didn't give them many options in terms of entry. However, he did spy what looked to be a control panel on the roof. He turned to Kaidan and gestured the LT to follow him. With Ashley and Wrex watching their six, Chief and Kaidan kneeled down by the control panel. Kaidan activated his omni-tool and started tapping some keys.

"What is this?" Chief asked.

"Circuitry access panel." Kaidan replied. "Every Kowloon freighter's got one. I might be able to access some of the ship's vital systems from here."

"Such as?"

"Gimme a minute." Kaidan tapped some more and then, a video feed appeared on the omni-tool's screen. "Uh-oh." he tapped a few more keys and then, the spartan's own blue omni-tool light up. Chief soon saw the same images that were on Kaidan's tool. "That's a feed from the security cameras. Looks like these extremists are gearing up for a fight."

Kaidan wasn't joking. Not only were the terrorists arming themselves with various weapons, but they were also moving crates around. Some them used their biotics, others didn't for some reason. In addition to creating sources of cover, they were also lining up each entrance into the large room with tall crate stacks on each side, creating a funnel. This would leave an intruder with nowhere to go but either backwards or forwards; a very good kill zone that made Chief glad he opted for a space jump rather than docking with the _Ontario_.

"Plug me in, Chief." Cortana said. "I can navigate the ship's systems faster than Kaidan can."

"I'll see what I can access for myself." Chief announced aloud. He started tapping his omni-tool to make himself look busy while Cortana did all the work.

"Let's see..." Cortana said. "Got another feed from the security cameras." The screen changed and showed a man down on his knees with three other individuals pacing around them. They all had guns. The man on his knees was very clearly the hostage.

Chief turned off Team COM to communicate with Cortana privately. "I think I have an idea. Can you access Life Support?" Chief asked.

"I think so. Hold on..." Cortana said as various technical readouts displayed on the omni-tool's screens. "Yeah. I've got access."

"Think you can drain the atmosphere of the entire ship except for the hostage's room?" the spartan probed further.

"Maybe. I'll have to check." the AI replied. Meanwhile, Kaidan couldn't help but notice all the screens flashing on Chief's omni-tool.

"Got a plan, Chief?" Kaidan asked.

"Maybe." Chief replied. "I'm trying to see if I can vent the atmosphere from every room in the ship except the hostage's."

Kaidan paused. "...Vent the atmosphere, sir? That's a little extreme, don't you think?"

"It's the most efficient strategy to dispatch all hostiles." Chief said. "They're setting up kill zones in there. We try and fight them the old fashioned way, we'd be in for a long and unnecessary firefight, during which the hostage could die at any time."

"Yeah but...they'd choke to death. That's..."

"The most efficient way to dispatch them." Chief repeated. "Even biotics need air."

Kaidan felt a chill go through his gut. He had heard rumors that, before the Covenant became a real problem and rebellion in the outer colonies was still a major concern, the spartans were black ops soldiers who ran assassination missions in insurrectionist territory. Occasionally, their missions ventured into ethically sketchy territory. Or at least, that's what the rumors said. Kaidan didn't believe them, but now that he was seeing just how ruthless the Chief could be when it came to winning fights and defeating enemies, he was starting to think that maybe those rumors had a grain of truth to them.

"With all due respect sir." Kaidan began. "These are L2's. Most of them are only doing this because they're scared and confused and don't know what else to do. Those amps really messed with their heads."

Chief looked up at the biotic. Kaidan couldn't help but note that, while it was technically impossible to know for sure with that visor, you somehow just knew when Chief was giving someone a look that could kill. "Don't tell me you sympathize with them."

"...I actually do sir." Kaidan stated.

Chief grimaced as he took another look at the security feed of the main hall. He observed the terrorists more carefully. He noted that Kaidan's observations may not be all that far off the mark. All the biotics had weapons, but judging from the way they held and handled them, most of them have never used such weapons before. Only a select few had any business holding a rifle at all, really. He spied one young man rocking back and forth in the fetal position in a shadowy corner. He knew he was about to head into combat, and was cracking. These people were most certainly not professionals.

Still, venting the atmosphere would be the quickest way to go about this. He could honestly understand Kaidan's viewpoint. Chief always tried to do the ethically responsible thing whenever it was possible. Save civilians whenever he could. Avoid ruthless executions whenever he could. But every once in a while, a mission would require him to break that code of conduct. He didn't necessarily like doing so, but that didn't change the fact that the mission required it. He didn't really want to vent the atmosphere, but if it is indeed the most efficient option available, Chief would do it without a second thought.

"This is our best option." the spartan resolutely said. "Unless you can think of a better idea, we're doing it."

"Have you considered actually negotiating with them?" Kaidan suggested.

"I don't negotiate." the spartan stated matter-of-factly.

"You don't, but maybe I could." Kaidan said. He started tapping keys on his omni-tool. "I'll try and access the ship's communications grid. Maybe I can negotiate with their leader. Resolve this peacefully." Chief slightly shook his head. Kaidan knew the spartan had his doubts. "Just give me a chance."

A chance. Chief had his doubts. But he recalled that the last time he gave someone a chance, it wound up with Tali saving him from a brute. Maybe Kaidan could surprise him too.

"Alright. Here's the plan." Chief began. "You go ahead and try and contact the leader, while I access Life Support. The second negotiations turn sour, I'm venting the atmosphere. Understood?"

"Yes sir." Kaidan replied with a nod. And with that, he went to work. He started tapping keys on his omni-tool, and within moments, a light lit up on his screen. Communications channels were opened. "Hailing them now." Kaidan reported.

On the security camera of the hostage's room, a balding, dark-skinned asian man with a pistol walked over to a computer console that was beeping. He pressed a few buttons. "Who is this?" a voice quickly answered. Chief noted that it was the same voice that gave them their ultimatum back on the _Normandy, _and likely belonged to the man in the security feed.

"This is Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko of the _SSV Normandy. _I'm here to negotiate the release of Chairman Burns." Kaidan began. "What are your terms?"

The man took a moment to discuss something with his two colleagues for a minute. He went back to the console "Alright." he said. "We know how this works. The negotiator keeps me occupied while an elite team of Alliance Marines gets ready to bust in and start shooting."

"Our ship hasn't docked with yours." Kaidan pointed out. "We can't send anyone aboard."

"Oh please. You think we've never heard of thruster packs?" the man on the other end retorted. "Hell, I'll bet there's a whole pack of marines that made the space jump from your airlock not five minutes ago and they're lying in wait on the roof right now!"

"So much for the element of surprise." Wrex grumbled.

Kaidan could feel the Chief giving him a stern stare through the visor. "Accessing life support now. You'll have full control in a few seconds, Chief." Cortana informed her spartan.

"So here's an idea; maybe I should kill Burns right now and finish this charade." And with that, the man pointed his pistol at Burns' head.

"Now hold on just a minute." Kaidan said. "Don't do something you're going to regret."

"Why not?" the apparent leader of this operation asked. "What have we got to lose? Since the chairman here decided we don't get reparations, we've got nothing left to live for!"

"But I've changed my mind!" Burns' voice was faint over the communications channel, given his far proximity from the console, but the squad could still make it out easily enough. "Seeing you all, it-it-it's clear you all deserve-"

"You had your chance!" the leader snapped. "Some L2's are nearly crippled from side effects of the implants, but you voted against reparations!"

Chief shook his head. These biotics were clearly too unhinged and paranoid for offers of bargains to be of any use. Negotiations were breaking down before they even really began. He wasn't even sure if he could vent the atmosphere now, as it would create the excuse those three terrorists need to kill the hostage. They were running out of options.

Kaidan took a deep breath. "Okay look." he began. "You wanna know something? I'm an L2, just like you guys. I know what you're going through."

The man paused. His face seemed to soften a little. "R-r-really?" he asked.

"I'm lucky, to be honest." Kaidan went on. "All I really have to complain about is the occasional migraine. But I had a lot of good friends in brain camp who weren't so lucky. Nosebleeds, broken bones, excruciating pain that made my headaches look pleasant. I've seen the nasty stuff L2 implants can reek on somebody first hand. I'm on your side."

The man, thankfully, lowered his weapon. "I...I don't know what to do. None of us do."

"Maybe Burns can help with that." Kaidan said. "Think about it. He's the one man who can help you."

"Yes!" Burns eagerly said, jumping on the chance at salvation. "If you release me, I can take another look at the reparations request!"

"...How do I know I can trust you?" the man asked. "How do I know you won't double-cross us as soon as we surrender?"

Kaidan paused and looked up at the Chief. Then he started tapping on some keys. "If you don't believe me, believe the Master Chief."

Then, much to the spartan's own surprise, his own omni-tool beeped. "Kaidan's passed on communication control to you, Chief." Cortana said. "You're on."

"...Hello?" Chief said.

A silence.

"Who is this?"

"The Master Chief."

"Prove it."

The spartan could only think of one way to prove his identity. But it would be a big risk. He'd have to walk on the glass ceiling of the room. He'd have to reveal his position. Tactically speaking, it would be a stupid thing to do, but Kaidan had managed to calm the man down a little. If Chief did nothing, he was sure to go back to being angry and trigger-happy. The spartan looked at Kaidan. The lieutenant nodded at him.

With that, the spartan got up and walked over to the glass ceiling over the room. When he reached it, he kneeled down on one knee and tapped on the glass.

The three terrorists looked up at him, their mouths agape.

"Now you believe me?" Chief asked.

There was a silence on the other line. Chief zoomed in. The man who he was assuming was the biotics' leader was blinking back tears.

"We...we're sorry." He said with a choked up voice. "We tried to be the best soldiers we could but...we just...the pain and the nightmares..." he covered his face.

Chief didn't know what this guy was talking about, but he decided to play along. "You were wronged. But killing Burns isn't going to fix anything."

"But people need to know, Chief!" the man yelled. "They need to know about what the government has done! What it's failed to do!"

"And I'll make sure they will." Chief replied. "Burns WILL take another look at the reparations request."

"Absolutely!" Burns yelped. "I had no idea the L2 biotics were this desperate! I promise, if you let me out of here, the reparations will come!"

"Just stand down, soldier." Chief said.

The man paused. He then looked back up to the Chief and saluted. "Orders, sir?" he asked.

"I'll have my ship dock with yours." Chief said. "Transport Chairman Burns to the airlock. We'll take him under protective custody. In the meantime, I'll leave a beacon here so the Alliance can pick you up."

"...What will happen to us, sir?"

"I can't promise you won't go to jail." Chief said. "But I can promise that Burns WILL approve the reparations. Other L2 biotics won't have to suffer as much anymore, thanks to your actions here."

The man smiled. "Thank you, sir."

...

"Thank you Chief." Chairman Burns said as he and the spartan's squad exited the _Normandy's _airlock and walked onto her bridge. "I thought I was dead when they took me."

"So, just out of curiosity, are you really going to reopen the reparation discussion?" Kaidan asked.

"Yes. I'm a man of my word." Burns said with a nod. "I didn't know the L2's were so desperate."

"What happened back there anyway?" Ashley asked. "Their leader was acting like a soldier for a bit."

"Virtually every biotic has or has had military training of some sort, as part of BAaT. Though many of those L2's had never held real weapons. Just training weapons, and it was a long time ago on top of that." Burns explained. "Anyway, their leader, Charles Wong, was trained at Gagarin Station like many other L2's." The chairman turned to the Chief. "You were...something of a childhood hero of his. Wong said that he joined the program because he wanted to be just like you."

"How do you know that?" Chief asked.

Regret and sadness suddenly painted Burns' face. "He told me so himself. While I was a hostage, he made me, at gunpoint, confront every single L2 on that ship. I guess he was trying to guilt-trip me. It worked. I'm genuinely sorry for just...dismissing their needs."

"Interesting." Cortana noted. "I wonder if he developed a little Stockholm's Syndrome while he was in there."

"I hope you've learned a valuable lesson from all this." Kaidan said. "You should really think about how a big decision could affect people before you make them."

"I will." Burns said. He turned back to the spartan. "So...where we heading?"

"Trebin. A remote world in the Antaeus system." Chief said. "I have spectre business there. Once I'm done with that, we'll head for the Citadel and you can find your way home from there. Until then, welcome aboard the _Normandy _Chairman Burns. This is no luxury liner, but we'll try to make your stay aboard as pleasant as possible."

...

It would still be several more hours until the _Normandy _reached Trebin, so Chief figured he'd kill some more time at the shooting range. Hopefully, he'll have it to himself. When the elevator stopped and the door opened, he saw that Kaidan Alenko was the only one using the shooting range. Okay. So the spartan would have to share, but at least it would only be with one person. The spartan grabbed a pistol from the desk at which Ashley usually worked and started firing shots next to the biotic lieutenant.

In truth though, Chief actually did feel like talking a bit with Kaidan. During negotiations with Wong, Kaidan claimed that he himself was an L2. After the assignment was complete, Chief went back to his quarters, jacked Cortana into his computer and had her do a background check on Kaidan. What Cortana found was, interesting, to say the least.

Kaidan Alenko had been part of Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training, or BAaT. It was a super soldier program run by a company called Conatix Industries, and supported by the Alliance, to train potential Human biotics. Children who were exposed to element zero in utero and showed signs of biotic potential worth augmenting were sent to Gagarin Station, aka the Grunt Hole, for training. Kaidan was one of these children.

However, the program was shut down about fourteen years ago for unstated reasons. That was the part that bugged Chief.

He also learned of the plight of Biotics fitted with L2 implants. The implants are most definitely the most powerful biotic implants Humanity had developed before or since, but not without great cost. The implants were notorious for causing severe mental problems such as insanity, mental disability, and crippling pain. Cortana ran a medical background check on Kaidan and, thankfully, he was indeed lucky. The only ill side effects he suffered from were occasional headaches, so there was no danger of Kaidan going crazy or suddenly keeling over in pain in the middle of a firefight.

It seemed that Kaidan Alenko had much in common with the Chief himself, which actually made the spartan a little curious. This would be the first conversation that he actually _wanted _to start, as it would be with someone he could relate to.

"I feel like I owe you an apology." Kaidan suddenly said.

The spartan wasn't expecting that. "What for?"

"For getting insubordinate with you back there." the biotic replied. "I actually did feel sorry for those extremists, being an L2 myself. Venting the atmosphere might've been ruthless, but it also might've been the best call. I let my own personal bias color my judgements, which is something no soldier should do."

"It's alright." Chief said.

"Sorry again, sir." Kaidan said. "Protocol wasn't a big focus back at BaAt."

"Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training?" Chief asked.

Kaidan snorted at that. "That name didn't last past the airlock." he said as he scored a headshot on a dummy. "To the kids they hauled in, it was brain camp."

"Hauled in?" Chief asked.

"Sorry. That was unkind." Kaidan replied. "We were...'encouraged to commit to an evaluation of our abilities, so an understanding of biotics could be compiled.'"

"In other words, hauled in." Chief quipped.

Kaidan chuckled at that. "Yeah. More or less."

"How old were you?"

"Fourteen, thereabouts." Kaidan answered. "Bunch of guys in suits show up at your door after school. Next thing you know, you're in the Grunt Hole."

"Gagarin station, right?" Chief asked. "I don't remember that station orbiting Earth back in my day. Is it new?"

"Not really." Kaidan said. "It was constructed about...twenty years after the end of the Human-Covenant War. Sangheili wanted to make nice with us, so they voluntarily helped us build Gagarin Station; a research platform. It got the nickname 'Grunt Hole' from all the Unggoy laborers that worked on it. First structure in the history of mankind to be made by both Humans and aliens. It's pretty big, has about a thousand people on it, conducting all kinds of scientific research. BAat was just one of many projects they were working on."

Chief nodded in acknowledgement. So, Kaidan wasn't conscripted until he was fourteen. Chief was a little bit envious. He didn't remember much of his childhood before the UNSC kidnapped him, but he liked what little he did remember. He recalled gazing up at the stars with his like-minded sister, his kind mother who smelled of soap, and Parisa. He never regretted becoming a spartan; it was necessary for Humanity's survival. Still, he'd be lying if he said he never missed his old life.

"You said there were other kids, right? Make any good friends?" Chief probed. He recalled forging strong bonds with the other SPARTAN-II candidates during basic training. He was curious to see just how much he and Alenko had in common in that regard.

"Yeah, I did." the biotic answered. "We'd always get together every night before lights out. We didn't have much to do, though. Conatix kept the Grunt Hole off the extranet to prevent leaks."

"Any friends in particular?" Chief asked.

"Well..." Kaidan said. "There was this one girl I spent a lot of time with. Rahna. She was from Turkey. Her family was very rich. But she was smart...and charming as hell. Beautiful, but not stuck up about it." The biotic turned from the firing range to the spartan and smiled. "I think you'd have liked her."

"I'm sure I would have." Chief said.

"Okay. My turn to be nosy." Kaidan said. "What was your spartan training like?"

The spartan paused at that, not expecting it. "I...can't go into too much detail." he said.

"Right. Classified intelligence. Need-to-know basis, I know how it works." Kaidan replied. "So what CAN you tell me without having to kill me afterwards?"

The spartan thought a moment. "Well...I guess I made some good friends too. Spartans 034 and 087 were the first I made. Then there was 104, 058, 051, 043, 092...pretty much every active spartan, now that I think about it."

Chief paused, suddenly reminded of the fact that they were all gone now. Kaidan must have picked up on it, as he winced ever so slightly as a sting of guilt hit him. "Sorry about opening up that old wound, sir." the biotic said apologetically. "Can't be easy. Being the last of your kind."

"...No." Chief said. "But moping won't bring any of them back. I'll go on. Move forward. It's all I can do."

Kaidan nodded. "I guess at the end of the day...it's all any of us can do sir."

The two went on shooting dummies in silence over the next twenty minutes or so. Chief then ordered Kaidan to pack up the shooting range before walking into the elevator to ascend to deck 2. The ship would be in orbit around Trebin soon, so they'd need the garage clear for mako drop.

...

**And there's your latest update. I've noticed that I've been neglecting Liara lately, so she'll have the spotlight in the next chapter.**

**Now...I've been thinking. As you all know, I've changed the dates around to try and make this fic work; Halo took place in the 2100's, and Mass Effect takes place in the 2200's. I tried to justify that by saying that Halo technology doesn't really seem advanced enough to be thought of as 26th century. However, the other reason I went with that timeline change was because I was trying to find a balance.**

**See, I COULD have had Mass Effect take place in the 2600's, but that would be a 500 year jump from ME canon. That seemed like too big a jump to me. The Quarians and Krogan might've been extinct by then, ages of certain characters would be kinda messed up , basically too many things would be different.**

**But then I realized that, while Halo Human technology itself may not be terribly advanced, their empire was. The UNSC had enough colony worlds that it took the Covenant over twenty years to even come CLOSE to wiping out the human race. I think they had like 800 colony worlds. You just can't build an inter-stellar empire that big in just 150 years from now. The recent review by DamionKenley117 was the final confirmation of my suspicions.**

**And now that I REALLY think about it, is 500 years really that big a difference in the grand galactic scheme of things? I don't see any reason why I can't just bump up the whole Mass Effect timeline by 500 years; it wouldn't effect Humanity and the Covenant much, since they were both stuck in the Forerunner Cluster until about thirty years prior to Mass Effect. Who's to say that the Asari didn't discover the Citadel in 1080 BCE instead of 580? The Rachni Wars could've occurred in 501 CE instead of 1 CE. The Krogan rebellions could've begun in 1200 CE rather than 700 CE. Actually, the actual names of the dates would remain the same (580, 1, 700 and so on), they would've just occurred 500 years AFTER what the ME timeline actually says. And I think I could get away with that since, in the never-ending scope of the universe, 500 years is but a blink of the eye.**

**And the best argument I can think of in favor of changing the dates...AGAIN...is that it wouldn't have that much impact on the most important aspect of this fic; the story. I just need to change the 1 in 2152 back to a 5, and the second 2 in 2283 to a 6. That's it. That's all I'd really have to do.**

**The only thing keeping me from doing that is because I'm not a big fan of blatant retcons (really, who is?) as they expose a writer's inability to keep his own story straight. Then again, I've already been doing minor retcons in previous chapters (removing the SPARTAN-III's from the Spartan Wall after learning they were supposed to be a secret. I just finished reading Ghosts of Onyx last week! Also, removing how Chief mentioned Halo to Liara in Chapter 13. That was a screw-up, plain and simple), and my ego is not so large that I won't admit that I made a mistake.**

**So, what say you readers? Should I go ahead and retcon the dates, or do you actually prefer them as is? Leave your answer in a review or PM it to me. Just don't do the "I told you so" dance or any other manner of nasty remarks; my oh-so-delicate ego has been bruised enough already, I would hope**


	16. Poker Night in the Garage

**So, after much deliberation, I've decided to go ahead and change the dates to the more acceptable 2500-2600. According to the Mass Effect timeline, the "CE" didn't start until the Rachni Wars began. So, let's just assume the Citadel Races got to enjoy four hundred years of relative peace before they got that little bug problem.**

**In fact, I'm actually in the middle of making the changes now. This chapter has been done for a while now, it just needed proofreading, but I wanted to post this alongside the announcement that the dates are fixed, so I stalled. But then the "OMG PLZ UPDATE" reviews and PM's made me feel too damn guilty so I decided to go ahead and proofread and then post this. Just know that the trade off is that the date corrections are still ongoing.**

**While we're on the subject of retcons, I guess I should explain why the Alliance made so many concessions to the Citadel Races upon joining. That's a long and funny story. It all started when I realized that yes, slipspace was faster than Eezo-FTL, which was bad because I wanted the Chief to have more downtime between missions so that he'd be forced to socialize more. While some of you may be screaming at me saying that's still possible with slipspace, keep in mind that when I first started this a year ago (God, I'm slow) I knew very little about the actual mechanics behind each universe. So when I noticed that slipspace was noticeably more dangerous than Eezo FTL, I figured that maybe THAT'S why humanity made the jump from slipspace to FTL. Slow and safe seemed preferable to fast and risky. But apparently, that wasn't good enough for some reviewers, and in retrospect they were kinda right, so I had to come up with something else. Then a stroke of brilliance; the Alliance couldn't use slipspace anymore because the council banned it! I thought it was the perfect hand-wave!**

**Lord, was I ever wrong.**

**I made Humanity look weak and the council look like dictators. This move generated such an outrage that a couple of authors went and wrote up Halo / Mass Effect crossovers in which the UNSC and its Covenant allies said 'no' to the council's restrictions and became a separate state, as if to subtly tell me "See, THIS is how you SHOULD have done it." Yes, don't think I haven't noticed those (they're very well-written though. I recommend them).**

**But here's the thing: I'm not changing that. I'll try and edit bits to better explain humanity's reasons for joining the Citadel races despite such restrictions but aside from that, no retcons there. Why? Well, here's the weird part; all the negative reviews I get, the ones that deride me for making Humans so weak in this universe? Painful as they are for me to read, THEY'RE the ones who are giving me ideas, making them even more useful than mere praise. Seeing how weak I've unwittingly made Humans has given me ideas for further plot points and plot threads in this story.**

**It just goes to show; there are no lessons in a good review, but a thousand in a bad review.**

**Right then. Sorry if I seemed like I was on a soapbox, but I just wanted to explain my actions. This fic is what it is. If you don't like it, I recommend reading Mass Effect New Origins V2. It updates more frequently anyway.**

**Now, without further ado, Chapter 16. **

...

1916 Hours, February 29th, 2683

ExoGeni Survey Camp

Surface of Trebin

Antaeus System, Hades Gamma Cluster

...

"Interesting." Tali noted as she stepped out of the pre-fab shed as she tapped away on her omni-tool. "According to these logs, the survey team unearthed some kind of alien artifact while they were mining into that mountain over there." the Quarian said as she pointed to the mountain in question about two hundred meters to the north. The rest of the team could make out the entrance to a mine, similar to the mine entrance on Therum.

"Why were they digging?" Garrus asked. "I thought they were here to monitor this planet's water levels."

"They were." Tali replied. "They said that, in addition to atmosphere, they needed to know how ExoGeni's terraforming campaign would affect a hypothetical underground water table. I guess they were thinking of perhaps starting up some underground springs or something."

Chief nodded in acknowledgement at the Quarian. The team had landed on Trebin's surface about twenty minutes ago. Chief brought Tali along as her technological expertise may be useful for investigating the survey team's equipment. Liara was there to inspect the nearby Prothean ruins, though so far, there were none to be found here. Finally, he brought Garrus and N'tho as combat back-up, in case things turned ugly. After tracking the survey team's last known location, they arrived at their camp only to find it completely and utterly abandoned.

"What about the Prothean ruins?" Chief asked.

"The ruins are about a half-click southeast of here." Tali said, pointing in the afore mentioned direction. "Though there are no _ruins, _as in plural. Just _a _ruin. A single Prothean pyramid. That's it."

"Seems doubtful Saren would come all this way for just one pyramid." Garrus noted.

"It would depend on the pyramid." Liara said. "If it's well enough preserved, it could yield untold amounts of data."

"Orders?" Garrus asked the spartan.

"The mine's closer so we'll head there first. It's possible that Saren might be just as interested in the alien artifact as the pyramid. Possibly more so." Chief said as he began marching towards the mine, the rest of the group following

...

The group descended through the tube-like tunnel into a small cave. The rock walls, floor and ceiling were all brown in color, and the floor was completely submerged in shallow water that just barely reached their ankles. "Guess ExoGeni's terraforming project had some success." N'tho observed. "Looks like a pipe busted down here."

Tali walked up to what looked like a crate. She used her omni-tool to hack the computer lock and looked inside. "Got a couple of assault rifles in here." she said.

"We'll grab those later." Chief said. "Right now, let's just take a look around. Garrus. You've got point."

Garrus winked green and jogged up to the other door. Like the last one, it was circular and looked faded, like it hadn't been used in a while. Either that, or it wasn't really cleaned that often. The others took position against the wall. It didn't seem likely they'd encounter hostiles down here, but one could never be too careful. Garrus got the door open and it opened to another tube-like tunnel with another circular door at the end. The Master Chief himself took point this time, Garrus and N'tho right behind him, and Tali and Liara watching the rear. Chief opened the circular door.

It opened to reveal a much larger chamber. This chamber too had ankle-deep water covering the floor, as well as what looked to be at least a dozen stacks of crates littered around the room in a seemingly random pattern. Chief soon saw movement near the back of the chamber. He zoomed in his vision.

Husks. Just like the ones on Eden Prime. And they were heading right for them.

"Everyone get into cover, now!" Chief ordered as he immediately dived in and took cover behind a crate, his squad following suit. Garrus and N'tho took cover behind a row of crates and began to cut down as many husks as they could. Tali stayed near the back, picking off the husks with her tech attacks. She figured that, being mostly technology, husks would probably be vulnerable to such attacks. Liara took ducked behind a crate next to the Chief.

Chief whipped out his assault rifle and opened fire on the advancing horde. "Short controlled bursts." he ordered through Team COM. With an advancing horde of enemies charging blindly at you, it was tempting to just hold down the trigger and mow down as many as you could. However, your weapon would eventually overheat, which is not something you want to happen if a husk got close enough to you. Short controlled bursts would give your weapon reprieve between bursts, which would make it last longer before overheating, if only slightly.

"Heads up. More incoming hostiles." Cortana reported. As he picked off one husk after another, Chief noticed at least a couple dozen more husks pouring in from the two tube-like tunnels from the opposite end of the room. This was bad. Even if they had no weapons, the husks could easily overwhelm the team in these tight quarters through sheer force of numbers alone. Then, the tides turned.

As he lined up another shot, the husk he was targeting suddenly flew backwards into its fellows, as did another. The telltale blue glow from the husks showed that this was the work of biotics. But the only biotic on the team was...

Chief turned and saw Liara, boldly keeping the entire husk force at bay with her biotics alone. Chief only brought the Asari with him because her Prothean expertise would be useful in analyzing the nearby ruin. He advised her to equip herself with some armor and a pistol for self-defense, just in case. Chief knew her biotics would also aid in self-defense, but he had no idea just how powerful Liara's biotics really were.

After literally pushing the horde back with her biotic powers, Liara then did something that really impressed the Chief. She thrust both her hands forward, both alight in a blue aura. Suddenly, what looked like a black orb with a blue aura appeared, and the entire husk horde began to get sucked into it and flew around it in a chaotic orbit. Liara whipped out her pistol and fully unloaded on the floating ball of flesh turned metal.

"All units, open fire!" Chief ordered as he held down the trigger on his assault rifle. Garrus and N'tho followed suit as did Tali once she got her own rifle out. Once the rifles overheated, they all switched to their pistols and unloaded on the husks using them instead. After a full thirty seconds, the black orb disappeared, and two dozen thoroughly dead husks fell to the ground. Tali walked over with her shotgun and finished off the ones that were still twitching.

"Guess we know what happened to the survey team." Garrus said. "Looks like the Geth were here after all."

"Still might be." Chief said. He turned to Liara, who put away her pistol, the glow from her arms fading. "Where'd you learn to do that?" he couldn't help but ask.

Liara rubbed the back of her neck, as though embarrassed. "I had twenty-five years worth of military training in my youth. A full range of biotic combat abilities comes standard in that curriculum. It's something of a long story."

"Any reason why you didn't tell me this?" Chief asked.

"Well, I'm not a real soldier. I tried out to be a huntress, but I quickly realized that I preferred dusty ruins to blood-soaked battlefields. I did not complete my training."

"Well, you damn well should have." N'tho said. "You just created a _black hole. _With your _brain._"

"It's called a biotic singularity." Liara said. "Admittedly, it is a powerful ability and difficult to master, but there are most certainly Asari commandos who can do it better than I. I'm a scientist, not a warrior."

"If you weren't here, taking these husks out would've been a lot harder." Chief said. "I'd say you're being a little too modest."

"...Thank you." Liara quietly replied.

"Alright. Garrus. N'tho. Each of you take a tunnel and check it. If there are any more husks down here, I want them dead. Tali. Liara. Help me separate the bodies. I want to do a head count to see if this accounts for the entire survey team."

Garrus and N'tho nodded before each taking a tunnel and investigating it. Meanwhile Chief, Tali and Liara went about the grim business of dragging the husks' bodies from the pile and lining them all up, side by side. By the time there were only half a dozen or so left in the pile, Cortana already completed the head count; every missing survey team member was present and accounted for. Liara and Tali did their best to complete the task without actually looking at the bodies, and Chief didn't blame them. This was by no means the first time the spartan saw so many corpses in one place, but the husks were disgusting, even by his standards. Cybernetics forcibly bonded with flesh, to the point that there was little organic material left. What was the purpose behind this? Why would the Geth do this? Do they have some sort of use for organic bodily fluids? And even if so, why implant the cybernetics? Closest explanation the Chief could come up with was psychological warfare; having to fight the risen bodies of fellow organics was a terrifying prospect to all but the most hardened of soldiers. Chief didn't think machines could be capable of grasping a concept like psychological warfare. Then again, Cortana was a synthetic being, and she could grasp such concepts just fine. Though that may be because she was flash-cloned from an Organic's brain. The Geth operated by a different set of rules.

"N'tho here." the Sangheili reported in, interrupting the spartan's ponderings. "No more husks down here. No Geth either. I got three of those...thingies that the Geth use to turn people into husks though."

"They're called Dragon's Teeth." Chief said. "Least, that's what the Alliance have started calling them."

"And I've got three more down here." Garrus said. "But you're definitely going to want to take a look at these Chief. Liara and Tali too."

"N'tho, head back up into the main chamber. Watch the entrance." Chief ordered. He then turned to Liara and Tali and motioned for them to follow him. The three walked down the tunnel Garrus took. It was a short trot down to the bottom; a small chamber with more ankle-deep water on the floor. Garrus was kneeling next to a dragon's tooth, his omni-tool alight with activity as he tapped furiously on it.

"Chief, there's something off about these dragon's teeth." Garrus began

"What do you mean?" Chief asked as he took a few cautious steps forward. The spikes were raised into the air, their deadly tips just barely touching the ceiling.

"Look at the root of this thing." Garrus said as he gestured to the bottom of the device. Chief looked at the bottom and noticed something very odd. Dragon's teeth were mounted on short tri-pod supports. But the tri-pod's legs looked like they were buried in the rock. That's when it dawned on Chief as he looked to Garrus for confirmation.

"Look at how the tri-pod's legs seem _submerged _in the rock." Garrus said. "I'm no geologist, but I know that means these things have been down here for a while. Millennia. Probably longer."

"They were dug up." Liara concluded as her eyes widened. She walked over and knelt down beside Garrus and activated her own omni-tool. "The rock shows signs of being cut into by handheld laser chisels. THESE must be the alien artifacts that the survey team mentioned in their logs."

"I don't understand." Tali said. "What's Geth technology doing buried underneath a planet so far away from the Perseus Veil?"

"That's just it." Garrus said. "I'm starting to doubt that this is Geth technology at all."

"Garrus's hypothesis is correct." Liara said as she eyed the readouts on her tool. "According to my carbon-dating program, the rock in which these dragon's teeth are buried actually _pre-dates _the creation of the Geth."

"So, the Geth didn't make the dragon's teeth; they just found them, somehow figured out what they were used for, and then put them to good use." Chief concluded.

"It's definitely possible." Tali said. "The Geth can be very resourceful and adaptable. There are multiple accounts of how, during the Geth Wars, the Geth salvaged, repaired and then employed any useful non-Geth technology they had found."

"Makes sense to me." Chief said with a shrug.

"Master Chief, I don't think you understand the disturbing implications behind this discovery." Liara said as she got up and faced the spartan. "If the Geth did not create this technology...who did?"

The spartan stared at Liara for a second, then turned up at the dragon's teeth.

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_Minds being tormented._

_Screeching of the damned._

_And eyes that spoke eons of malice._

Chief remembered what Liara said about her research. How she couldn't point at one definitive piece of evidence to prove her theories, but rather got a feeling from noticing patterns in her studies. Chief was starting to understand what she meant by that.

The Reapers. A race of sentient machines that could wipe out all life in the galaxy. That's the absolute-worst-case scenario if Saren succeeds in getting to the conduit before Chief does. The council dismissed that scenario as being a myth, and the spartan actually agreed with them at first. After all, sentient machines that appear out of nowhere, kill everything, and then disappear as quickly as they came? It was crazy.

But the more time Chief spent on this mission, the more evidence he found that _something _was going on. First the vision, then Liara's confirmation of the vision, now this. It's easy to see Saren as a maniac who rallied an army of Geth to his side, but there was another element to this threat that Chief couldn't see, which frustrated the spartan to no end. The worst part of this was realizing that, faced with such uncertainties, that crazy myth might not be so crazy after all.

"This reminds me of an old Salarian saying." Garrus said as he got up. "What you know can be scary. What you DON'T know can be even scarier."

"And it looks like there's a lot about Saren we don't know." Tali added.

"...We're done here." Chief said at last. He rounded up the rest of the team, as well as the weapons Tali found earlier. They then left for the surface, grateful to leave the eerie, death-filled cave behind.

...

Trebin's surface was considerably less alien-looking in comparison to Therum and Sharjila. Clear blue skies with hardly any clouds. Brown dirt. Black rockfaces in the mountains. This place could've easily passed as desert plains from Reach, or even Earth.

Having left the science camp behind and confirming the science team's fate, the group turned their attention southeast, to the Prothean Ruins, which unfortunately meant another ride in the mako. The terrain, the mako's tricky handling, and the Master Chief's driving technique were NOT a good combination.

They eventually made their way off of the rocky terrain and onto a large, flat 'field' of sorts that was about two-hundred meters in diameter. Across from them, slightly elevated on a rocky hill above the field, sat a small, lonely Prothean Pyramid. Chief had to zoom in with the mako's monitors in order to get a better look.

"Not much of a prize." Tali observed from the co-pilot seat. "Seems like Saren really wasn't here."

"No, but that doesn't mean whatever is in that pyramid isn't worth getting." Chief replied.

"Hold on, what's this?" Tali asked as she pressed a few buttons on her display. The camera zoomed out and panned on something about thirty feet off to the left. It looked like wreckage of some sort. "Might be worth investigating." Tali said.

Chief nodded before driving the mako over to the wreckage in question. He stopped next to it. "N'tho, Garrus, Liara, get out and take a closer look. Tali and I will keep the engine running." Chief ordered. He observed the wreckage through the mako's cameras as the three squad members began picking through it.

The design was unmistakable. Dull grey metal. Jagged edges and even a few spikes. And then there were the bodies. Even wrapped in hard-suits, the shape and size were still clear as day. These were brutes.

Chief had been reading up on the codex and knew that brutes, once the favored race of the prophets and the most vicious species known to humanity, were now scavengers and pirates; living on the fringes of galactic civilization and often taking what they needed by force. Low and behold, how the mighty had fallen. Given their proximity to the pyramid, the brutes were probably interested in it too. Not because of any archaeological curiosity, but more likely because they thought there might've been something in the pyramid worth selling on the black market.

Chief was off-put by the state of the wreckage. Parts and pieces of brute vehicles were all over the place. Chief recognized what was once one of the sled-like runners of a type-52 infantry support vehicle, or brute prowler. He saw that a brute chopper was still somewhat intact, but it still looked pretty beat up. The bodies of the brutes themselves were in even worst shape. One had a grisly-looking hole in its chest cavity. Another was missing its lower half. N'tho found a brute's disembodied head, but couldn't find the accompanying body to save his life. These brutes weren't only killed; they were slaughtered.

"Brute salvage team by the looks of it." Garrus reported over Team COM. "They got massacred though."

"By who?" Chief asked.

"Hard to say. Nothing to really indicate the culprit." Garrus replied.

"Could be a rival brute salvage team." N'tho suggested. "It's not uncommon for brutes to turn on each other. And it's DEFINITELY not uncommon for brutes to be this...uh...brutal."

"I'm not so sure." Garrus debated. "I inspected some of the more...damaged bodies. A lot of them suffered from severe acid burns."

"Acid?" Tali asked.

"Yeah, and it's not just the bodies. Some of the metal show signs of melting." the Turian went on.

Tali looked to Chief. He couldn't tell, but he guessed she looked worried. He didn't blame her. Liara walked over to the brute chopper. "This vehicle might still work. We could salvage its parts." the Asari suggested.

"After we take a look at that pyramid." Chief said. "Everyone pile back in."

The rest of the team got back into the mako and Chief resumed course for the pyramid. He was going noticeably slower now. The sight of a slaughtered salvage team with absolutely no knowledge of who or what did it made the spartan uneasy, and prompted him to proceed with caution. His gut told him that whatever killed those brutes might still be nearby.

Not for the first time, his gut ended up being right.

Around the middle of the field, they began to feel a small tremor of some sort. Chief hit the brakes, thinking something was wrong with the mako's engine. But they could still feel a distinct shaking. And it was getting stronger. Then, the ground seemed to explode right in front of the mako, tossing huge amounts of dust and dirt high into the air. When the cloud of dust subsided, the spartan came face to face with a real, honest-to-God monster.

It had a worm-like body, with at least four pairs of chitinous, clawed appendages running down the sides. There were probably more beneath the ground. The head was huge, with two eyestalks that ended in snow-white eyes that gave no hint of a soul. On the sides of its head were two massive, scythe-like claws that looked like they could shish kabob a tank. It had a rectangular-shaped mouth with prehensile tentacles at each of the four corners. There were no teeth visible in its mouth, but a long, glowing blue, unnatural looking tongue hung freely from its mouth, visibly wet with saliva. Finally, it was big. Very big. Easily big enough to swallow the mako whole.

It roared in fury at the mako.

"Thresher Maw!" Tali yelled.

"Hold on!" Master Chief said as he employed his driving skills to steer the mako away from the beast. One of the thresher's scythes just narrowly missed hitting the mobile tank. Chief switched off Team COM and audio speakers. "Cortana. Access the codex. I want everything on the Thresher Maw, NOW."

"On it." the AI replied. Chief eyed the screen that showed the rear camera. The thresher glared daggers at the mako as it got away, then shot back into the dirt, disappearing in a cloud of dust. "Keep driving." Cortana advised. "It's not retreating, it's just coming around for another strike, like a shark."

As if on cue, the thresher surfaced again right in front of the mako, forcing the Chief to swerve around to avoid it. Garrus, who was the gunner at the time, swiveled the turret around towards the thresher and started firing everything the mako had at the beast. The Turian barked curses at how the thresher wasn't even flinching at the relentless chain gun fire. The thresher followed the mako with its gaze and then reared its head back. It then spat something, a green projectile of some sort, at the moving vehicle. Chief didn't know what it was, but his instincts assumed it was something bad and made him swerve further to avoid the missile. Liara held on for dear life in the passenger compartment, while N'tho was standing up, holding himself steady by grabbing the walls.

"That was a highly corrosive acid loogie that it just hocked at us." Cortana explained. "It's a common form of offense, in addition to the claws and infrasound attacks."

"Well, now we know what killed the brutes." Chief deadpanned.

"Yeah. Nice to have that mystery solved huh?" Cortana deadpanned back. The monster roared again to remind the spartan that it was still there.

The thresher maw burrowed back underground, but instead of popping back up right in front of the mako, it popped up from several meters away, likely to get good distance for another few ranged attacks. The beast was smart, at least smart enough to change up tactics when Plan A wasn't working. The Chief continued to keep his foot firmly planted to the metal as the mako's guns continued to blaze. "Am I even HURTING this thing?" Garrus yelped.

The mako was coming up on the brute wreckage again as the thresher went back under. No real reason. Just the Chief's maneuvering happened to take the mako by the wreckage.

It was exactly the moment N'tho was waiting for.

As Chief passed the wreckage, he heard the mako's back hatch open. He looked at the screen that showed the passenger compartment of the mako.

He saw N'tho open the back hatch and then leap out.

...

The moment he hit the ground, N'tho rolled to minimize injury. When he got back upright, he started putting his powerful digitigrade legs to work and ran for the brute wreckage with all due haste. The thresher was underground when N'tho bailed out and, hopefully, the beast will be too occupied with the mako to notice him.

The thresher resurfaced and resumed shooting acid at the mako from another angle. So far, it was blissfully unaware of the Sangheili or anything he might be up to. Perfect.

He ran for the brute chopper, the one that looked more or less still intact. His plan was simple; hop into the chopper and then the thresher maw would have to contend with two assault vehicles instead of one. Divide and conquer. The only real problem with it was that N'tho would have to leap into a _brute _vehicle, a thought the elite did not relish.

Though far from being a 'traditional' Sangheili warrior, N'tho still held some of the beliefs of old. In this case, it was the premise of 'filthy weapons,' weapons that were made and used by 'filthy' races, like the Jiralhanae. Many Sangheili warriors in the days of old would sooner die then stain themselves by wielding such unclean technology. N'tho didn't take the belief to such extremes though. He'd use dirty technology if it was required to win, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

He shuddered as he came upon the chopper. "Man, I'm gonna need a shower after this." he grumbled.

He climbed into the chopper's cockpit and tried to start up the engines. "Alright, you ugly bitch." N'tho began. "I hate you, you hate me, but how about we take that hate and aim it towards the overgrown grub that's trying to killed your rider and now trying to kill my friends too. Whaddya say?" As if agreeing to N'tho's proposed truce, the chopper's engines roared to life. The viewing screen activated, and the grav-lifts kicked, elevating the cockpit. The engine growled, hungry for one last ride, one last kill.

"Alright. Glad you saw things my way." N'tho said as he gripped the chopper's steering handles and steered the metal behemoth towards the chitinous one. N'tho kicked on the turbo boost to give the chopper extra speed as he closed the distance between himself and the thresher. He opened fire with the chopper's autocannons. The Sangheili grumbled curses as the rounds impacted the thresher's chitin armor, which may as well have been made from titanium. He steered away, not wanting to crash into it.

N'tho decided to try a different tactic. He drove around to the other side of the great worm while driving away from it to gain distance between he and it. As he did so, he passed the mako whose guns were still blazing, still futilely trying to hurt the thing.

...

"What's he doing?" Tali shouted over the roar of the guns as they passed N'tho driving the chopper.

Chief didn't answer, too focused on his driving to comment on N'tho's recklessness. Garrus hit the thresher maw right in the face with a mass accelerator cannon. The beast howled in pain as it rushed back underground. "Hey! I think we're making progress!" Garrus yelled from the turret seat. He was right. According to what Cortana found out about thresher maws, their only vulnerable spots were their un-armored heads. Aiming right for the kisser was the only way to really beat this thing, and Chief had adjusted tactics accordingly. They would strafe around the monster while Garrus kept hitting it in the face. It would be a long battle, but one that should end in victory. The thresher maw spawned forth from the ground in another spot, resuming fire with the globs of acid. Chief got the mako into position to resume his strafing tactic.

Chief had to resist hitting the brake as N'tho's chopper sped across the path before the mako. The Sangheili closed the distance between himself and the thresher, autocannons blazing.

...

"FROM HELL'S HEART I STAB AT THEE, BITCH!" N'tho roared as he held down the button that fired the autocannons. The thresher wailed as a few shots hit it right in that big fat tongue that might as well have 'please shoot here' written all over it. N'tho was right. Shooting it right in the face was the surest way to get its attention. He sharply steered away. Now if this works...

It did work, N'tho noted, as he noticed a glob of acid nearly hitting the chopper. Now, while N'tho has this beast's attention, Chief can hit this thing in whatever weak spots it has without having to worry about getting hit with nasty acid.

...

Master Chief wasn't the swearing type, but if he was, he'd be carpet bombing the whole area with F-bombs right now. By unleashing such an onslaught of autocannon fire on the thresher maw's face, the elite had successfully gained the thresher's attention. However, this means that now the thresher is focused on N'tho and is tracking him. That's bad, as the thresher's face is the only known target on the creature, and the target keeps turning away from the mako's guns to follow N'tho.

The spartan had been trying to raise N'tho on Team COM, but he couldn't get squat. Something was jamming the radio signal, the mako's hull maybe. Chief decided the only way to have the target presentable to him now was to drive parallel with N'tho's chopper, and hoped he caught on to the plan.

...

So far, N'tho's plan was working. The thresher maw had big, white, soulless eyes only for him. The mako's guns were more powerful than the chopper's, so it was imperative that it wasn't the thresher's target.

N'tho then looked and noticed he was running side by side with the mako. "Wort!" he swore. Now the mako was a target! How did this happen? He realized he must've been driving alongside it without even noticing. He cursed himself for such negligence. The thresher maw went under again, and N'tho took the opportunity to break away from the mako. A sharp U-turn oughta do it.

...

Upon seeing N'tho make a sharp U-turn, Chief realized that the parallel plan won't work. The mako can't turn the way a chopper can, and even if they do catch up to it, N'tho would just turn away again. It was time to try something else.

Chief kept driving in the same direction. The thresher maw surfaced again and resumed firing globs of acid at N'tho. He wisely turbo-boosted whenever an acid glob got too close and expertly swerved around the acid puddles. N'tho was a good driver, of that there was no doubt. Too bad he was being as dumb as a sack of hammers right now. The mako and the chopper were driving in circles around the thresher. The chopper circling clockwise, the mako counterclockwise. Eventually, they intersected.

When they did, Garrus hit the thresher's face with both chain gun fire and the mass accelerator cannon. A round from the mass accelerator cannon soared right into the thresher maw's mouth and detonated in its throat. The beast roared in pain before vomiting forth a torrent of blood. The thresher then slinked back underground, though doing so more sloppily than it did before.

"I'm not detecting anymore seismic activity Chief." Cortana reported.

"We killed it?" Chief asked.

"Doubt it. More like we shot it up bad enough to convince it we're not worth eating." Cortana replied.

Master Chief then saw N'tho's chopper heading off to the Prothean pyramid. Apparently, the elite figured he would rendezvous with the rest of the team there. Chief head off in that direction as well.

...

N'tho deactivated the chopper and climbed out soon after pulling up next to the pyramid, and patiently waited for the Chief to arrive. He whipped out his sniper rifle to check that the coast was clear. It was. The mako pulled up next to the pyramid about ten seconds after. One by one, the rest of the team piled out. "Liara, start analyzing the ruins. Garrus, Tali, secure the area. N'tho, you and me need to have a chat."

N'tho watched as Liara, Garrus, and Tali went about their jobs as Chief stalked towards the elite.

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" Chief began.

"You mean bailing out of the mako to hijack that chopper?" N'tho asked.

"Yes. That."

"Well, I figured that the chopper would even the odds a little." N'tho said. "I mean, yeah, its guns aren't as big as the mako's, but I figured I could use it as a distraction. Give you guys a clear shot at its weak points without having to worry about getting hit with that green stuff."

"...N'tho, you're an idiot." the Chief said bluntly.

The elite was taken aback by that comment. "Uh..."

"You bailed out, without my orders. You abandoned your team, without my orders. And you adopted a tactic that was not only unnecessary, but an outright hindrance to our goal. The thresher's face was its only weak point, and by holding its attention and keeping that face turned away from us, you were making our jobs harder in addition to putting your own neck on the line. _Without my orders._"

"I was...I was just trying to help." N'tho replied nervously.

"If I need your help, I'll ask for it." The spartan then boldly closed the distance between himself and N'tho and grabbed the collar of the Sangheili's chest piece. He pulled down on it, bringing the elite visor-to-visor with the Chief. Even though it was polarized, N'tho thought he saw eyes behind the visor. Very angry eyes. "This is not a video game, N'tho. You are not John Wayne. This is war and you are a soldier. Stunts like that are going to get yourself and the rest of your team killed. At this point, I'm honestly alright with the former. It's the latter I have a problem with. From now on, you do what I tell you, when I tell you, and _nothing else. _And if you try anything like this again, I'm kicking you off the team and off the ship. And when I do, it'll be in deep space. Am I clear?"

"...Yes sir." N'tho squeaked out. Not once during that whole rant did Chief's voice raise in volume or even gave a clear hint of anger. But somehow, that just made it all the more terrifying.

...

N'tho's antics aside, the assignment went well enough for the Chief. The council had been informed of the fate of the survey team, as well as the ancient artifacts that he and his team found, suggesting that the dragon's teeth is, in fact, NOT Geth technology. While they did not host a live holo-conversation, they did send a reply message thanking the spartan for looking into the matter, and informing him that the report will be passed along to ExoGeni. In addition, he has been ordered to resume course for the Citadel.

As for the Prothean pyramid, all it really yielded was one Prothean data disc. It didn't seem like much, but according to Liara, Prothean data discs as well-preserved as the one they found were incredibly rare, and vowed she would study it intensely, and would inform the Chief immediately if she found any mention of the Conduit or the Reapers on the disc.

Finally, Chief decided to do a little more research on thresher maws. Apparently, they are alarmingly common throughout the galaxy, due to their unique method of reproduction; firing off spores into the atmosphere on whatever world they're on and into deep space. Most of the thousands of spores that each thresher spews forth die, but at least one will usually find its way to a planet where it can grow into an adult. In addition, while primarily a carnivore, thresher maws can also use a form of photosynthesis as a means of sustenance in between meals. Due to a highly efficient digestive system, it can go decades, even centuries without any significant meals.

According to the codex, the first time humanity encountered a thresher maw was in 2677. A company of Alliance marines were sent to the planet Akuze to investigate a sudden lack of communications from a pioneer team who were appraising the planet for colonization. The unit was attacked by a thresher maw that inflicted huge casualties upon it. The Alliance eventually rescued two dozen survivors; a mere quarter of the company they had originally sent. The odd thing was, they were all found unconscious in a set-up campsite, and yet they all had no idea how exactly they arrived in that campsite. They claimed they were hiding out in a cave, starving to death, too fearful of the thresher to leave until they lost consciousness. Then, next thing they knew, they were in an Alliance rescue ship. One claimed that it was divine intervention that saved them, claiming to have heard a female angel's soothing voice while battling to regain consciousness. Thus, this gave rise to the legend of 'The Angel of Akuze.'

After that little history lesson, Chief decided to squeeze in some quick target practice at the shooting range down in the garage before lights out. When the elevator door opened, he half-expected one or more of the team doing target practice of their own. So what he found instead naturally caught him off guard.

Four _Normandy _servicemen all sat around four crates arranged together to make a table. They all sat on stools and in front of them were cards, playing chips, and various seemingly random items; a cupcake, three stim packs, an old omni-tool, and a yo-yo. Chief recognized two as his own team; Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko. He didn't recognize the two other women. One had a head that was completely shaved, and the other had red hair and was wearing a green poker visor. They all took notice of the Chief and froze like deer caught in headlights.

"...Relax." Chief said. "What you do when you're off-duty is your own business. Plus, it's not like you're playing for real money or contraband."

They all sighed in relief. "You know, you're welcome to join us." Kaidan said.

"...I'm not the poker playing type." Chief replied.

"Don't think of it as poker." Kaidan proposed. "Think of it as...an exercise in deception tactics."

Chief furrowed his brow. He knows how to play poker, but he hasn't played it since he was a kid, training with the other SPARTAN-II candidates. There's no REAL reason to do it...

...On the other hand, there's no real reason NOT to do it either. His other choices were target practice, which never provided a decent challenge anyway, or going back up to his quarters to do...nothing really. He checked the clock on his HUD. 2156 hours. He had a whole hour to kill before light's out, so theoretically, he COULD play for a little while.

"...Alright. Move over and deal me a hand." Chief said as he walked over to the makeshift poker table. He took a seat between Monica and Kaidan.

"Alright. The name of the game is No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em." the woman with the poker visor said.

"I suppose I should buy in with something." Chief said.

"Nah." the visored said. "First game's free. And here. Have some chips to play with." The woman said as she handed Chief about fifty playing chips or so; about the same as everyone else at the table. "We haven't met, by the way. I'm Monica. Monica Negulesco, Communications and Navigations." she proudly proclaimed.

"Carol Grenado. Engie." The shaved woman said in a decidedly less excited manner.

"And of course, you know Ash and Kaidan." Monica said as she gestured to the two marines. They both did a quick salute to the Chief. Ashley's was sharp and crisp. Kaidan's was a little more lax. Chief saluted them both back in turn.

"Alright. Here we go." Monica said as she dealt each player their two cards. Though Master Chief didn't consider himself the poker playing type, he did know the basic ruleset. But he hadn't played this game in a while, so he would be a little rusty no doubt. He peaked at his opening hand. A pair of sevens; one of hearts, the other of spades. Not too bad, as far as opening hands go. Monica and Carol payed the blinds before the round began.

"Call." Monica said as she tossed a chip in.

"In." Carol said as she did the same. Ashley ante'd up as well, but Kaidan folded his hand. Apparently, he didn't think he had a hand worth playing. That left Chief to check. Monica had already had five cards face down on the table and burned two others. She flipped over the flop, the first three community cards. Seven of diamonds, seven of clubs, and queen of hearts. Chief had four of a kind right out the gate.

Monica wanted to check, but Carol was feeling lucky and bet four more chips. Ashley folded, not feeling as lucky as Carol it seemed. Chief called the bet though, as did Monica. Chief could've easily raised the stakes. With four of a kind already on the flop, he could easily afford to do so. But then he would run the risk of scaring people off; he wanted to keep Monica and Carol playing so he could take as much from them as he could.

Monica flipped over the fourth card, the turn. King of clubs. Monica made a bet. Carol raised. Chief called Carol's raise, as did Monica. The comm and nav officer flipped over the fifth and final card on the table, the river. Five of diamonds. Monica checked, as did Carol. Chief made another bet. Monica was smart enough to fold, though she didn't like it. Carol however, played into Chief's hands and called him. The two flipped over their hands.

Carol had a king of hearts and a queen of diamonds, which meant she had a two pair. However, she wasn't expecting Chief's four-of-a-kind. The bald engineer grumbled curses as the spartan collected his winnings and Monica cut and shuffled the deck anew.

"Uh, Master Chief?" Ashley began. "Permission to speak freely?"

"Granted." the Chief replied as he checked his new hand. Three of hearts and four of clubs. There was a possibility for a straight, so Chief called.

"Alright." Ashley said before taking a deep breath. "I know things are different aboard the _Normandy -_"

"That's an understatement." Carol deadpanned as she threw a couple of chips in after the flop was revealed.

"...But I'm concerned about all the non-Humans on the ship." Ashley finished as she tossed her call in. Kaidan folded again. "With all due respect Chief, should any of them really have full access to the ship? I mean, this is the most advanced warship in the Alliance navy. Should they really have free reign to poke around our vital systems? Engines, sensors, weapons, that kind of thing?"

"I've already ruled them out as security risks." Master Chief answered bluntly as he called Carol's bet. "We're barely on good terms with the Turian Hierarchy, but Garrus is just a disgruntled ex-cop, so he's not in much of a position to hand over Alliance secrets to his people's government. The Asari Republics we seem to get on better with, and much like Garrus, Liara isn't somebody with any real reason to poke around the ship, nor does she have any shady connections. The Quarians are in no position to be a threat to anyone at all, and the Krogan don't even have an organized government, so Tali and Wrex are out as spies. N'tho's spec ops and so he may have some connections, but we've been allies with the Sangheili Empire for well over a century now. That, and I seriously doubt N'tho is clever enough to steal secrets without my noticing."

"Okay, so they're not spies." Ashley said. "But still...do we even really need them?" Monica called Carol's bet and revealed the turn after burning another card.

"Probably not." Chief honestly replied.

"So why are they here?" Ashley asked.

"Because they volunteered and I found their skill sets suitable for the mission. Their presence aboard this ship may not be necessary, but it makes our mission a little bit easier." Chief explained.

"Why so uncomfortable, Williams?" Kaidan asked. "They're our allies. We're all on the same team here."

"I'm not sure I'd call the council races allies. We...humanity, I mean, have to learn to rely on ourselves." Ashley said.

"Standing up for ourselves doesn't mean standing alone." Kaidan argued.

"I don't think we should turn down allies." Ashley said. "I just don't think we should bet everything on them staying allies. As noble as the council members seem now, if their backs are against the wall, they'll abandon us."

"You've got a pessimistic view of the universe Ash." Monica observed.

"A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist." Ashley countered.

"You don't seem to have a problem with Tali." Chief observed. "In fact, I think she's your friend."

"Tali's different." Ashley said. "The Quarians don't really deserve all the bad press they get if you ask me. And like you said, they're hardly a threat. I'm not so sure about the others though. Turians and Krogan aren't the most trustworthy of aliens from a Human point of view, for obvious reasons. Sangheili are our oldest allies sure, but let's not forget they tried to commit genocide on us before that. Yeah, it was a long time ago, but we can't just pretend that all those glassed worlds didn't happen."

Chief silently agreed with Ashley as he saw Carol make a big bet. 131 years may be a long time for wounds to heal, but some scars are permanent. Ashley and Kaidan folded, as did Chief. His cards just weren't good enough. Monica folded as well, leaving Carol to reel in the pot herself. Monica dealt everyone new hands. Chief checked his hand. A two and a five, both of clubs. Same suit, but otherwise a poor hand. He'll stick around for the flop though. He was holding out hope for a flush.

"And finally, there's Liara." Ashley said. "I'm not sure I buy her story. About her and her mom not talking. They're family right?"

"Not everybody comes from a happy family." Carol said with a shrug.

"Yeah, but I don't think we should really trust her as an ally just because Benezia didn't hug her enough as a kid." Ashley further argued as she tossed in her call.

"She was telling the truth when she said that." Chief said. Kaidan called and so did the spartan. "I can usually tell when people are lying. And she's a bad liar."

"What about Nassana?" Monica asked as she called too.

"She was a good liar." Chief confessed. Good enough to fool even him. Once he was back on the Citadel, he'd have a few choice words with that Asari.

"She's a politician." Carol pointed out as she checked. "Being a good liar is part of her job."

"Hm. If Liara's such a bad liar, maybe I should ask her about her sex life. Should be illuminating." Ashley cracked. "Anyway, what I'm saying is that, with the exception of Tali, I can't honestly say I implicitly trust any of the non-Humans on this ship, and I don't think we should trust the council either." Ashley said. "If a bear has you cornered and all you have is your dog, you sick your dog on it and run. You may love your dog, but it isn't Human."

"That how you think of aliens?" Monica asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. But that's how the council thinks of us." Ashley explained.

"Sounds like somebody's a cat person." Carol cracked.

"It's not racism. Not really." Ashley defended. "Members of their species will always be more important to them than Humans are. That's what I'm worried about. That they'll put the interests of their races ahead of Humans'."

"You sound like one of those Terra Firma party pamphlets, Williams." Kaidan said with a raised eyebrow.

Ashley sneered at that. "Terra Firma is a pack of jackals."

"Terra Firma?" Chief asked.

"Political Party within the Alliance." Kaidan quickly answered. "Anti-alien, think non-Humans shouldn't be trusted, and they believe that joining the council races was a mistake."

Chief nodded. He would agree with Terra Firma on that last part.

"Terra Firma's founders had ideals." Ashley said. "But these days, they just play off xenophobia and bigotry."

"And you don't?" Carol asked.

The marine turned to the engineer and glared daggers at her. "My father, grandfather, and great grandmother." Ashley said, officially out of patience for Carol's remarks. "They all picked up a rifle and swore the Oath of Service."

"Williams, do not strangle Grenado. That's an order." Chief passively said.

The marine took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and then finally relaxed. "I...I guess we just tend to think of Earth's interests as our own. Not the Turians, not the Sangheili, us. Humans. That's what I'm saying."

"It's not that simple, Williams." Kaidan said. "Aliens aren't automatically the bad guys. Trust me."

"What makes you so sure?" Ashley asked.

"Well..." Kaidan trailed off.

"I smell a story." Monica practically sang. "Come on, LT. Spill."

"Well..." Kaidan said. "I'll just say that, at some point in the past, I worked with a Turian by the name of Vyrnnus."

"Really?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah. It's kind of a long story." Kaidan said. Monica revealed the flop, but nobody was willing to play yet. They wanted to hear Kaidan's story first, it seemed. "Vyrnnus was...assisting in the training of Human biotics and his methods would be considered...harsh by the Alliance. Hell, they could be considered harsh by the Hierarchy. Probably because he fought in the First Contact War. He didn't really like Humans."

"Few aliens do." Ashley pointed out.

"But here's the thing. It was actually Vyrnnus who made me see how...Human aliens really are." Kaidan said.

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "An alien who hates humans taught you that aliens ARE human?" she asked. "You're gonna have to explain that one to me, LT."

"Before I met Vyrnnus, I knew as much about aliens as any other civilian." Kaidan began. "They were all the same; weird, superior, always trying to tell us what to do. I mean, the first time we ever made contact with aliens resulted in a war that almost lead to our extinction. That can really color your opinion. But after knowing Vyrnnus, I realized that aliens weren't different or special. They're jerks and saints, like us."

"I take it Vyrnnus was a jerk?" Monica asked.

"Definitely." Kaidan replied with a nod. "Specifically, he was a bully. And just like the Human bullies you deal with in school, Vyrnnus would scare the shit out of everyone and would usually single out one guy for special punishment. Once I figured that out, somehow I stopped hating him. My point is, aliens are individuals. Just because one's an ass doesn't mean they all are. I mean, take the Chief for instance."

"Me?" the spartan suddenly asked.

"Yeah, you. Look at how you handled Tali and N'tho." Kaidan said. "You doubted Tali's fighting capabilities. It wasn't because she was a Quarian, it was because she was a civilian. And N'tho earlier tonight on Trebin. You didn't give him a verbal beatdown because he was a Sangheili, you did it because he was being an idiot." He turned back to the other three at the table. "Same thing with me and Vyrnnus. I hated that Turian. But he wasn't a 'Turian' to me. He was just Vyrnnus."

Chief was a little taken aback by how Kaidan used him to help prove his point. Despite having five aliens on his ship, Chief had never been a proponent of all the races of the galaxy holding hands and getting along. He was working with the non-Humans, but he was also watching them warily.

"Alright LT, you've made your point." Ashley conceded. "Alien does not, in fact, automatically mean bad guy."

"And so, we've all learned a valuable lesson today about racial tolerance." Monica said. "Now then, unless anyone else has any political subjects they'd like to discuss, can we please start making some bets?"

Ashley made a sizable bet. Kaidan called, as did Chief. The flop was two of hearts, four of clubs and ten of clubs. Chief still had a chance at a flush. Monica folded too, but Carol called Ash's bet. As Monica burned another card and revealed the river, Chief ended up thinking a bit about what Kaidan said; how it was important not to generalize aliens and instead think of them as individuals, like you would people. In theory, the biotic was right. Turians, Krogan, Sangheili, they were all sentient beings just like Humans were. Of course there would be differences in how each individual thought and acted within a species. If that wasn't the case, it would be a hive mind.

However, it was hard to deny that fundamental differences between species were present. Turians were prone to imperialism, Sangheili and Krogan were prone to violence, and Unggoy were prone to cowardice. That wasn't racism, that was a fact.

...Then Chief realized that Kaidan actually WAS right to use how he'd been handling the non-Humans to better make his arguing point. Chief did take the given traits of a species into a account when recruiting the aliens, but taking precedence over that were their _individual _merits. THAT'S what Chief based his judgements on more than anything else. He was initially wary of Garrus, Wrex and N'tho, but allowed Garrus on board his ship because he wasn't an imperialist who wanted to keep Humanity down. He allowed Wrex on board because he wasn't a mindless, bloodthirsty psychopath. He allowed N'tho on board because he wasn't a bigoted zealot. And hell, he even started to like Tali after a while, and the fact that she wasn't a thieving pickpocket probably had something to do with it.

He was thinking of them as individuals. Not as merely members of their respective species.

He had killed hundreds upon hundreds of grunts, jackals, elites, hunters, brutes and drones throughout the course of the 27-year-long Human-Covenant War. They were all the same at the time; they all hated Humanity and wanted every Human dead, and that was all the Chief needed to know. Even after the Great Schism, he didn't much think of the Covenant as having individuals. All the Great Schism did was turn one collective into two. The loyalists who hated Humans, and the separatists who didn't. Even while he fought alongside all those Sangheili, it didn't occur to him that each one had its own opinions, thoughts or feelings the way Humans did. They all wanted the brutes dead, and that was all the Chief needed to know.

And then Chief realized that he actually did think of one Sangheili as an individual during the war. The Arbiter. He fought alongside the Chief in the UNSC's assault on the portal near Voi, the assault on the Ark's Cartographer, the assault on the Ark's Control Room, and finally the activation of Halo. The Arbiter showed that he was more than a zealot who wanted his enemies, whoever they may be, dead. He respected the Chief and the Humans for their valor. He gave the Chief his brief condolences when Avery Johnson died. And though he never openly stated it, Chief suspected that the Arbiter was at least somewhat sorry about all the Sangheili had done to the Humans in the war up to that point.

Chief had been sizing up the Arbiter throughout the battles of Voi and the Ark. Not as a Sangheili, but as an individual. The spartan never really realized that until now.

He began to wonder if he was wrong to initially suspect Garrus, Wrex and Tali of being spies. Granted, he eventually eliminated them, but he still suspected them to begin with. He quickly concluded that it would've been perfectly acceptable behavior in 2552. But it wasn't 2552 anymore. As Kaidan said, alien didn't automatically mean bad guy, not in this day and age. Times have changed, and like any good spartan, Chief should adapt. And perhaps he shouldn't do it from _just_ a tactical point of view.

Chief noted the clock on his HUD. 2249 hours. It was getting close to light's out for the Chief. The turn turned out to be an ace of hearts. Kaidan made a bet, which was surprising as he was being very cautious up until now. Chief called him, as did Carol. Ash folded. Monica burned another card and revealed the river.

Ace of spades. Chief sighed. It seemed even his luck had its limits. Kaidan made a fairly large bet. Chief folded, knowing that he couldn't beat whatever Kaidan had with such low cards. Not with a pair of aces on the table. Carol folded too, and Kaidan won the pot. Chief then conceded the remainder of his chips to the pot, leaving it for the next victor as he quit the game. The spartan thanked everyone for the game before getting up and taking the elevator back up to deck 2.

He checked in with Cortana before bed. She said that they should reach the Citadel in the morning, a little after breakfast.

...

**Yeah, I recently downloaded Poker Night at the Inventory off of Steam. Good game, highly recommended. Gave me the idea for this chapter.**

**So, we'll be heading back to the Citadel in the next chapter. And all those who say that I should try and deviate from ME1's story a little bit to do plot threads I made up myself...you will be pleased with the next chapter I think**


	17. Waiter!  Check Please!

**Good News, Everyone!**

**Chapters 1-9 have been successfully edited with the correct dates, along with a few other edits to improve the storytelling and dialogue.**

**Also, 493 reviews! 7 more and I hit the 500 mark! Considering this is a Halo fic, I'll take that as a good omen.**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

...

0805 Hours, March 1st, 2683

Dock 422

Citadel

Widow System, Serpent Nebula

...

The _Normandy _arrived at the Citadel the next morning. Dock 422, same as before. In fact, the council had already made arrangements for this dock to be specially reserved for Master Chief and his ship. Apparently spectres really do get everything; even their own parking spaces.

However, there was a surprise waiting for the spartan at the dock. A surprise named Rear Admiral Mikhailovich of the 63rd Scout Flotilla. He knew that the _Normandy _would make berth at Dock 422, and so arranged a surprise inspection. Master Chief stepped aside and allowed the admiral to inspect the ship. Afterwards, Cortana tried to remind the Chief that, as a spectre, the spartan was technically no longer part of the Alliance chain of command and could've easily refused the inspection. But old habits die hard, and his military discipline simply wouldn't allow the spartan to say no to a rear admiral.

Master Chief stood on the dock outside the _Normandy, _the exact spot he was standing when Mikhailovich first appeared. Even after the admiral boarded the ship, Master Chief didn't dare move from his spot. Finally, after an agonizing half-hour, Chief could see Mikhailovich walking out of the airlock and down the loading bay towards the spartan. Chief straightened and stood at attention purely on instinct.

"Master Chief." Mikhailovich began. "I'm not happy."

"Sorry to hear that, sir." Chief replied.

"Where do I even begin..." He said as he shook his head. Chief saw this coming. Before boarding the _Normandy _to begin the inspection proper, the rear admiral made no secret of the fact that he loathed the ship for even existing, claiming it was a waste of money. While it was arguable that the money that went into building the _Normandy _could've been better spent on other projects, Master Chief wouldn't go so far as to call it a waste. The ship had served him well so far.

"First off, who designed that CIC?" Mikhailovich asked. "Putting the commanding officer aft of everyone else is inefficient. What if he needs to discuss with the operators towards the bow?"

Master Chief raised an eyebrow that was concealed by his visor. Was the admiral asking him? "I couldn't say, sir." Chief replied honestly. "I'm not the one who made that design choice. You'd have to take it up with those who did."

Mikhailovich grunted at that. "Moving on, I had to shake my head at that drive core." the rear admiral went on. "120 billion credits of element zero to make this thing able to move without giving itself away. You realize we could make drive cores for twelve _thousand _fighters with that money? What good is it to hide for a few hours anyway? Useless!"

Privately, Chief disagreed. A few hours of stealth may not seem like much, but in a high-intensity space battle where time seems to stand still, a few hours could mean the difference between victory and defeat. He didn't voice those opinions though. Chief knew better than to argue with a rear admiral.

"Again sir, not my choice. You'd have to take it up with the ships' original designers." Chief said in the most respectful tone possible. He was actually sincerely confused. Why would the rear admiral bother pointing out flaws in the ship that were so obviously beyond the spartan's control? His own opinions were likely coloring his inspection, but again, Chief knew better than to argue with a rear admiral.

Mikhailovich narrowed his eyes at the Chief. "Well then, _Master Chief._" he said, venom dripping off of every word. "Maybe we should address my third and final complaint which is, in fact, _your _choice. Your crew."

"My crew, sir?" Chief asked.

"The original Human crew, I've no issue with. They're all good at what they do, as far as I can tell." Mikhailovich said. "But a Sangheili? An Asari? Quarians? Krogan? _Turians?_"

He pointed an accusing finger at the spartan. "You're running a _warship, _Chief." he barked. "Not a god damn zoo! What are you thinking, allowing alien nationals free access to Alliance equipment?"

"Well sir, I wouldn't call them 'nationals.'" Chief began. "More like volunteers."

"Volunteers?" Mikhailovich asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Yes sir. They all volunteered for this mission, and I found their skill sets suitable for it. The Turian, Krogan and Sangheili are very capable in a fight. The Quarian's a good mechanic, and the Asari is an expert on Prothean Archaeology. Given the fact that Saren has thus far demonstrated an obvious interest in Prothean ruins, I believe that the Asari is most likely the most mission-critical out of all of them."

"You really believe that?" Mikhailovich asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes sir. They're all good at what they do, and none of them are security risks. I wouldn't tolerate them on my ship otherwise." Chief finished.

The rear admiral grunted. "I'll keep that in mind while I write my report to the Joint Military Council. Not that I expect them to do anything about it. Too many interest groups have too much money invested in this." He gave the spartan a crisp salute. "Master Chief." the spartan saluted back, and with that, the admiral walked towards the elevator that took him down to C-Sec Customs.

"Wow." Cortana commented. "What a Colonel Ackerson."

...

After Rear Admiral Mikhailovich's inspection was complete, shore leave for the _Normandy's _crew officially began. Chief didn't know when he'd have to leave the Citadel again. Could be the next day. Could be the next month. But Chief was willing to bet that they would stay in port for at least a few days, so the spartan figured that he might as well give the crew some time off while they were here.

However, while the rest of the crew will no doubt be off visiting bars and night clubs of various kinds throughout the wards, Chief had more important things to do. He figured his next move should be to head for the presidium, specifically Ambassador Udina's office, to get an update on any new information regarding the mission. There was likely none, but it couldn't hurt to check. It was the most preferable option anyway. Chief wasn't the bar-hopping type.

The elevator came to a stop and Chief walked out into C-Sec Academy. As usual, there were several dozen C-Sec officers, either standing guard near a specific spot or walking from one place to another, along with a few civilians that needed help with something and a few shady looking characters wearing restraints. Just like any other police station, really.

However, waiting for Chief not seven feet away from the elevator was a woman in one of those long, red, robe-like dresses that seemed so popular in this century. She had a dark skin tone and raven-black hair to match and a slightly aged face, late-thirties or early-forties if Chief had to guess. She had a thin frame which was flattered by the dress. However, the most eye-catching feature by far was the camera drone that hovered behind her.

"Master Chief?" she asked. She then extended a hand. "Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani. Westurland News."

"Oh dear sweet God, it's the media." Cortana said in mock-horror. "Run Chief. _Run._"

"Would you be willing to answer a few questions for our viewers?" She asked.

"I don't do interviews." the spartan nonchalantly said as he walked on past the woman. As he walked towards another elevator that he hoped would take him somewhere else, he noted a new light source behind him, which he recognized as the camera's light turning on. Apparently, the reporter wasn't the type to take no for an answer.

"Humans have been trying to get the respect of the galactic community for years. WIth that in mind, what are your feelings on being the first Human spectre?" Khalisa asked.

"No comment." Chief replied.

"Do you believe the claims of some Human interest groups that making you a spectre was just the council 'throwing Humanity a bone?'"

"No comment."

"Have you encountered any situations where the Citadel asked you to place its needs before the needs of Earth?"

"No comment." Chief finally arrived at an elevator and pressed a button. Now it was a painful waiting game.

"Do you think it was appropriate to hand Earth's most advanced warship over to the council?"

"No comment."

"Is it true you're tracking a rogue spectre?"

"No comment." At long last, salvation. The elevator arrived. The spartan stepped in.

"Is it true you're just a shill for the council?"

"No. Comment." Chief said with a tone of finality as he pressed the up button. The elevator door closed, taking the Chief up and away from the reporter, much to his relief.

...

"I heard about what happened on Therum." Udina told the spartan. "The council wasn't happy about the destruction of those Prothean ruins, nor was the Sangheili Empire. Need I remind you that we ALL get judged by how _you _behave?"

"Noted Ambassador. I'll try to minimize collateral damage in the future." Chief crisply replied. He was sighing with exasperation on the inside though. First a surprise inspection from an ass of an admiral, then a nosy reporter who did not know the meaning of the term 'I don't do interviews,' and now a blustery ambassador who apparently had nothing better to do than yell at people. Today was just one of those days, Chief supposed.

"This isn't a game, Ambassador." Anderson said, trying to defend the spartan. "Chief's out there trying to stop Saren from destroying the galaxy. I for one can live with a few busted up ruins."

Udina grunted. "Tell that to Ambassador 'Krovakr. After the destruction of those ruins, he stormed into my office demanding Master Chief's head. Literally." He turned to the spartan. "Good news is, I managed to calm him down by reminding him that you had avenged the deaths of the Sangheili warriors who were slain by the Geth and would not rest until Saren was brought to justice. So basically, I single-handedly prevented a second Human-Covenant War. _You're Welcome._"

He turned back to Anderson. "I just remembered I have some errands I need to run. Keep an eye on my office. And by that, I mean make sure Chief doesn't blow _it_ up too." With that, he turned and left the office.

"He doesn't like me." Chief stated.

"Since when have soldiers and politicians _ever _seen eye-to-eye?" Anderson countered.

"Point taken." the spartan conceded.

"Don't mind him, Chief. He's just under a lot of stress." Anderson said, trying to make Udina not so big of an ass. In vain.

"I don't suppose the council has any new information on Saren?" Chief asked.

"Afraid not." Anderson replied.

Chief sighed. Great. Looks like he'd be stuck on the station for a while. "How've you been doing, Captain?"

"Honestly?" Anderson asked. "This isn't how I pictured my career coming to an end. Pushing papers really isn't my thing."

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir." Chief stated. "For what it's worth, I still think you should be the one in charge of the _Normandy. _Not me."

Anderson shook his head at that. "You're the one who can stop Saren. I believe in you, Chief. If that means I have to step aside, so be it."

The spartan nodded. Anderson had a point. Out of every Human in the galaxy, the Master Chief was the one best suited for a mission this important. Still, it didn't feel right, knowing this great man had to be left behind in order for Chief to lead this war.

Anderson sighed. "Besides...I had my chance a long time ago." The former captain turned around walked towards the balcony overlooking the Presidium. Chief followed him and stood next to him as he leaned against the railing. "You are the first Human spectre, Chief. But you're not the first Human to have tried out for the job." He took another deep breath before continuing. "That would be me."

Chief was a little taken aback by that. During a round of target practice during the trip back from Therum, Ashley let slip what the corrupt C-sec officer Harkin said about Captain Anderson last time they were on the Citadel. How he claimed that Anderson was the first Human spectre, not Master Chief. Chief immediately dismissed it as a drunk lech's sick idea of a joke. But apparently, there was actually a grain of truth to it.

"It's how I know Saren...It's how I know what kind of man he is." Anderson went on.

"You don't have to tell me if it makes you feel uncomfortable, sir." Chief said.

"No." Anderson replied. "This is a story you should hear. Hopefully, it'll give you a better idea of just what kind of person you're up against." He paused, recollecting his memories.

"It's close to twenty years now." Anderson began. "Then Ambassador Anita Goyle was our representative here on the Citadel. Like Udina, she wanted to get a Human into the spectres. She chose me. The Council sent Saren to keep an eye on me and evaluate my performance. Just like how they sent Nihlus to keep tabs on you. We had intel on a rogue scientist being funded by Batarian interests. He was trying to set up a facility to develop illegal AI tech out in the Skyllian Verge. Alliance intel had done all the work, but the council wanted a spectre involved. We compromised. I was assigned to help Saren in his investigation. We tracked the scientist to a refining facility on Camala. He was hidden away somewhere inside, protected by an army of Batarian mercenaries. The plan was simple: sneak into the plant, capture the scientist, sneak back out. Quick, quiet and a minimum of bloodshed."

"I take it things didn't go as planned?" Chief asked.

"No. They didn't." Anderson replied. "Saren and I split up to cover more ground. Then, about halfway through the mission, there was a massive explosion in the refinery core. Officially, it was ruled an accident. But I think Saren detonated it on purpose to draw off the enemy guards."

"Did it work?" Chief asked.

"It did. But at a price." Anderson answered. "The explosion tore the refinery to shreds. The whole place was on fire. Black chemical clouds poured out into the atmosphere. Nobody inside survived." He paused. "There was a camp for the workers and their families nearby. Between the fire and the toxic fumes, the final death count was over five hundred. Mostly civilians. Saren didn't care. The target was eliminated. Mission accomplished. And I ended up taking the blame, ending all talk of me joining the spectres."

"Saren was the one that caused the explosion." Chief said. "How'd he pin it on you?"

"In his report, Saren accused me of blowing his cover. He said it was my fault the guards were ready for us. He claimed that's why it turned into a massacre. Saren's report was all the proof the council needed to kill my chances of becoming a spectre." Anderson shook his head. "I had a bad feeling about him right from the start. I should've been more careful. Maybe I could've stopped things before they got out of hand."

"Wasn't your fault sir." Chief pointed out.

"No. It was Saren's." Anderson resolutely responded. "I think he _wanted _things to go bad. He was looking for an excuse to blow that refinery. Maybe he just likes the violence. Maybe he was just trying make me look bad to keep Humans out of the spectres. If so, he succeeded."

Anderson turned towards Chief. "We still don't know where Saren's hiding now. But we do know that he's still looking for the conduit, just like you are. If and when you and Saren cross paths, _don't _underestimate him. There's a reason he was the council's best spectre before going rogue."

"I'll keep that in mind, sir." Chief replied.

Anderson saluted the spartan, and the Chief saluted back in kind. "Dismissed." Anderson said. With that, Chief walked away from the balcony and left the office.

In the end, Anderson turned out to be right. The story of his failed attempt at joining the spectres did paint a better picture of what kind of enemy Saren was. All he really had to go on up until now were extranet rumors, which were not known for being reliable, though Anderson's story did confirm what those rumors claimed; Saren Arterius was far and away the most ruthless spectre working for the council. If he detonated a refinery, killing hundreds of innocent lives, just to eliminate one target, it was chilling to contemplate what else he might be capable of.

However, after a few more moments of contemplation, the Chief arrived at an even more chilling thought.

Blowing up a refinery sounded like something a spartan would do. Something the Chief would do.

He thought back to the warning Anderson just gave him; how Saren was someone the spartan shouldn't underestimate. He was starting to see why that was. While Chief was certain he outclassed Saren physically, it was possible that the playing field was more level from a purely intellectual and tactical standpoint. Much like the Chief, Saren was the kind of combatant who would employ unconventional and some would even say crazy tactics in order to win a fight. Chief had built a career out of doing the impossible and from the sounds of things, Saren did too. He wouldn't have been known as the council's best spectre otherwise.

But Chief knew that there were also important differences between him and Saren, the key one being motivation. Chief fought for his species and his species only. That's why he agreed to try out for the spectres, because he knew it would be good for the Alliance and would further their agenda. Saren was more selfish than that. He attacked Eden Prime not because the Turian Hierarchy ordered him to, but because he hated Humans. That's why he did what he did in that op with Anderson. He was willing to put his own personal agenda, keeping Humans out of the spectres, above his current mission, which was a despicable thing in the spartan's opinion.

Either that, or maybe Anderson's first suggestion was right: Saren enjoys the violence. He enjoys killing people. Chief isn't that sadistic. He can't honestly say he hates killing, but he can't honestly say he loves it either. It's just a job to him.

Chief and Saren may employ similar tactics, but that was all they had in common the spartan concluded. Chief would've stuck to the original stealth-oriented plan. It was more efficient and didn't involve the unnecessary deaths of civilians. He wouldn't have blown the refinery without considering other options, and certainly not to spite any species he was prejudiced against, not even the elites. Spartans aren't that selfish. Spartans aren't that sadistic. Blowing the refinery would've been a last resort only, _if that._

Chief was a spectre now, just like Saren used to be. But Chief was a spartan long before he became a spectre. He wouldn't do the kind of things Saren did. He was trained better than that, and he knew it. That's what will keep him straight. That's what will keep him from abusing his power as a spectre.

Chief continued to walk through the presidium, up until a thought suddenly occurred to him.

While Chief's train of thought was on the subject of corrupt behavior and abuse of power...

He turned on his heels and marched back toward the embassies. He had a few words to share with a certain Asari diplomat...

...

The Embassy Lounge was predictably uptight and self-important in its atmosphere. Delegates of every species living in Citadel Space were sitting at round tables as they enjoyed their breakfasts and brunches, enjoying drinks of various kinds at the bar, and chatting up one another on some obscure political issue or other. After asking a bartender, just like he did on Therum, the Chief eventually found Asari Diplomat Nassana Dantius sitting at a table, alone.

"Chief!" Nassana excitedly said as she sprang up. "Did you find my sister?"

"Yes. And then I killed her." Chief promptly and coldly replied. He wasn't one for pleasantries or mind games. He wanted to cut right to the chase. "Mostly because she tried to kill me and my squad first. Apparently, she was a slaver who was using her own existence to blackmail you." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Funny. You didn't mention that before."

Nassana stood there for a moment. The spartan was expecting shock and denial, for Nassana to insist her lie was truth. Instead, however, she was actually quite calm, not giving off so much as a hint of fear or remorse. "So the truth comes out." She finally said as she sat back down. The Asari didn't sound surprised. No doubt she knew that the Chief finding out the truth at some point wasn't entirely unlikely. She most likely hoped that the spartan would find some Asari corpses in the back rooms of the merc base on Sharjila, or something else to suggest that he was too late to 'save' Dahlia, but wasn't exactly willing to bet money that that would be the case.

"I hope you are not angry." Nassana began in a professional tone. It was odd. It didn't sound malicious, but it didn't sound sincere either. "Surely you can understand why I lied to you. If people found out my sister was a criminal, I'd be considered a security risk. They'd revoke my clearance, or place me on administrative leave. That is why I misled you. I could not risk you exposing me. But now that Dahlia is out of the picture, it is no longer a problem."

"...You tricked me into being your hit man." Chief replied.

"You're a spectre, Master Chief." Nassana said. "When I said I trusted you get this done more than I trusted some common mercs, I was actually telling the truth." She activated her omni-tool. "I shall transfer a little something into your account as a token of my appreciation. I'm sure you will find the amount satisfactory."

"I don't want your blood money." Chief sternly replied. He was a soldier, not a bounty hunter.

"I do not like being in anyone's debt." Nassana said as she rolled her eyes. "Consider it a fee for doing your civic duty in the death of a dangerous slaver, if it makes you feel any better. Or give it away to some charity. I care not. The funds are already on their way. They are your problem now."

"Or I could just arrest you." Chief stated. "You DID break the law, after all."

"Actually, not really." Nassana said with a raised eyebrow. "The only law I could've possibly broken in this situation was actually putting money into Dahlia's account. Handing over money to illegal merc bands is against the law according to C-Sec. If anyone broke a law, it was you. You were the one who pulled the trigger, acting on no orders from any given authority whatsoever. Fortunately, as a spectre you can get away with that sort of thing. So really...nothing illegal at all happened between us." She smirked victoriously. "We're just a couple of law-abiding citizens, you and I."

Chief's fist clenched slightly in anger. "Besides, even if you could charge me with something, I have a well paid team of Kig-Yar lawyers who can jump through every loophole in the system and get me off with little more than a minor fine. I'm sorry, Master Chief. But the fact of the matter is, I'm virtually untouchable."

"You won't be forever." Chief said.

"Maybe." Nassana admitted. "But I will remain untouchable until the day you die. You know. Millennium-long life spans and all."

The politician leaned back in her chair and smirked. "Can't say I'm surprised by your deluded sense of honor and duty. _All _the first-year spectres are like that. They're the maidens of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. Young, inexperienced, wide-eyed, optimistic. They're the ones who have yet to see the ugliest side of the galaxy. The ones who have yet to realize that their naive ideals simply aren't compatible with the realities that come with the job. All spectres started out like that, even Saren Arterius."

"I am NOT like Saren." Chief harshly stated.

"Not yet. But give it time." Nassana continued. "You're by no means the first spectre I've contacted to take care of some...'loose ends' for me. And you certainly won't be the last. Just as this certainly won't be the last so-called 'dirty' odd job that you'll have to do to help fund other, more important missions."

The Asari paused to finish off the drink she was drinking. With a satisfied smirk, she set the glass aside. "Are we done here? I've an appointment in thirty minutes, and I do not wish to be late."

"...We're done here." Chief finally said. Nassana nodded and left the lounge. Chief stood there a moment, fuming, then checked his accounts on his omni-tool. Nassana was generous. His budget had just gone up by nearly 70,000 credits. Blood money or not, Chief couldn't ignore a number like that. The money would indeed go a long way in further funding the mission. The _Normandy's _armory already had plenty of weapons, weapon mods, and armor mods. But there was always room for more.

Perhaps Nassana was right. Perhaps Chief and Saren really did have more in common than Chief would like to admit.

"Hey. Don't worry." Cortana said in a reassuring voice. "She'll get hers."

"One day." Chief replied. Too bad that day likely wouldn't come in his lifetime.

"Oop. Incoming transmission from Caroline Grenado." Cortana reported. "Patching it through."

"Hey Chief." Carol's voice came. "Me and a few other engies and a few marines were about to hit this new bar that opened up on Kithoi Ward. Wanna come?"

On any other day, Chief likely would've refused that offer. Officially, the crew of the _Normandy _was on shore leave, so officially they were allowed to do such things. Chief didn't really see the point in it himself, since it had nothing to do with the mission.

However, after dealing with a biased rear admiral, a nosy reporter, an ungrateful ambassador and finally a deceitful diplomat...

"Sure." Chief replied. "I could use a stiff drink."

...

There was only one time in the Master Chief's whole life in which he consumed an alcoholic beverage. It was immediately after a space battle during the Human-Covenant War. As a UNSC fleet clashed with a Covenant fleet, Master Chief, along with Kelly-087, Linda-058, Fred-104, and Will-043, had managed to rally the beleaguered marines on board the _Lucky Star _to successfully repel a boarding attempt by a platoon of elites. After that, they hopped aboard a pelican and made a boarding attempt of their own, specifically on the Covenant fleet's flagship _What Heresy Fears._

It was fairly simple, really. Fight your way to the bridge, kill the shipmaster, overload the engines, then get out of there. As per usual, the execution was nowhere near as simple as the concept, but in the end, the five SPARTAN-II's made it out just in the nick of time, flying away from the flagship's docking bay just before it exploded. The rest of the Covenant ships were quickly and efficiently cut down, ending in a certain, if narrow, victory for Humanity.

Captain Jenaveave Duboise of the _Lucky Star _was so grateful to the spartans for all that they had done, that she all but insisted on a toast of champagne to celebrate the victory, and that the spartans join her. No spartan drank alcohol, but their instinctive manners in the face of a superior officer kept them from refusing. That was the day Chief tasted champagne for the first time.

It tasted good enough, but it made him a little dizzy after a while. Now he knew why it was tradition to drink it _after _a victorious battle, not before one.

Over a hundred years later, at a bar in a noisy nightclub on an ancient space station far from what was once known as UNSC space, the bottles he saw on the wall across from the bar table were most assuredly NOT champagne.

Granted, there were a couple of bottles of champagne there. Along with a few bottles of whiskey, lager, vodka, sake, and plain old beer. Also on those walls however were drinks that, all together, could accurately represent the entire visual spectrum of the rainbow. Red, yellow, green, blue, purple, orange, name a color, you could order a drink that was in that color. With no dye necessary. It didn't help that the bartender, who was a Hanar, advised the Chief not to go for what he called a "dextro" drink. Only Turians, Quarians, and Mgalekgolo can consume these drinks. Anyone else is at a high risk for a fatal allergic reaction.

Chief went ahead and ordered a couple of glasses of champagne. It was the only drink he knew for certain he'd like. Yes, it would make him dizzy, but considering the day he's had, perhaps slight dizziness might not be so bad. Besides, it wasn't as though he'd be heading out on a mission any time soon.

The other _Normandy _servicemen were out on the dance floor, a few with some attractive civvies of the opposite sex, most likely hoping for a lucky night. Chief was simply content to stay near the bar and enjoy his drink. He honestly didn't see the appeal behind dancing. All that unnecessary movement accompanied with music that didn't even sound like music; more like a series of bloops and bleeps. Chief never thought he'd see the day where he missed Avery's Johnson's odd liking for flip music.

It was then that the Hanar placed a glass of pink liquid in front of the spartan. "Compliments of the Asari down the way." the jellyfish-like alien said as it pointed a tentacle down the bar. Chief looked and saw the Asari.

She was wearing what seemed to be a mini-skirt along with a halter top...and not much else. She had a drink in front of her, but rather than drinking it, she was tracing her finger along the rim of the glass. She stared at the spartan, and smiled. She winked at him.

Chief's first instinct was suspicion. But then it was quickly dismissed when he realized that this Asari, though not Human, was very clearly a civilian with no weapons on her. Unless of course she could somehow hide a pistol up her skirt. He looked back down at the drink. It was pink, which was a little off-puting to the spartan, but it was fizzy like champagne. He looked back to the Asari, only to find that she was gone. A quick scan around the room had revealed that she had gotten onto the dance floor and was gyrating her body in a manner oddly similar to that of a Human woman. He looked back down at the drink.

"Hey, a drink's a drink." Cortana said. "And a free drink at that."

Chief paused in apprehension. "Come on." Cortana insisted. "Live a little. What's the worst that could happen?"

Sighing in defeat, Chief poured the drink into his armor's liquid tanks and he began drinking it. Despite likely being an alien drink, it was oddly tasty, having a fruity flavor to it.

It was then that Chief thought he saw a shadow out the corner of his eye. He got up to investigate...

...Only to feel a little woozy. Odd. Doesn't alcohol take a while before you feel its effects?

He saw the shadow again. It looked like a Turian, and it was the only body standing still in the writhing sea of dancers. Chief could see its eyes leering right at him. The alien then turned on its heels and left.

Now THAT was suspicious.

"Looks like we might have trouble." Cortana said. "And we were on vacation, too. He probably left through here."

A blue arrow appeared on a back door. Chief nodded and walked towards it, finding himself slightly struggling to walk straight as he made his way through the crowd. The back door of the club lead to an abandoned alleyway.

The mystery Turian stood at the end of the alley, a gun in his hand pointed at the Chief.

On instinct, Chief drew his assault rifle and aimed. "Drop it!" he yelled.

It was at that point that the spartan's vision suddenly got blurry. One Turian suddenly became three as the edges of his vision began to darken.

A swift and hard smack to the back of the head finally sent the spartan tumbling into the realm of unconsciousness.

...

The Nerola Blossom is widely considered by many in the galaxy to be one of the most beautiful flowers ever to grow on the verdant Asari homeworld of Thessia. However, what many in the galaxy don't know is that, in addition to beauty, the Nerola Blossom has several practical purposes. These purposes include, but are not limited to, disinfectant, air freshener, cold medicine, aspirin, aphrodesiac, tranquilizer and drink flavoring.

The Asari mercenary Allana Ne'viri found the last two purposes to be particularly useful for kidnapping missions.

She came out of the club into the alley way to meet with the two thugs. They worked for the man who hired her to drug this freak of a Human. One was a Turian with a single black stripe running down the center of his face. The other was a Krogan, who had just knocked out the Human with his rifle butt. Guess the "Nerola Sleep Aid," as Allana affectionately called her potent brew, worked too slow for the massive reptile's liking. Can't say she was surprised. Krogan weren't known for their patience.

The Asari turned to the Turian. "Alright. I've got him. Now about my pay..." she trailed off. Goddess, she just wanted to collect the money and go home. The sooner she got out of this nightclub whore get up, the better.

The Turian stared at her for a few uncomfortable seconds. He then walked over to the air van they had parked further into the alley. The Krogan followed him, dragging the hulking Human by his feet, grumbling curses as he did so.

"Dammit." the Krogan growled. "How much does this Human weigh? A ton?"

"Only half a ton." The Turian said.

The Krogan snarled at him, apparently not appreciating the lip. "Heart better appreciate this..." he growled.

The Turian opened the back doors to the air van and the Krogan loaded the Human in. The Turian then reached in to grab a suitcase inside the van and handed to Allana.

"We thank you for your help with this, Ms. Ne'viri." the Turian politely said.

"Don't mention it." Ne'viri said as she greedily took a look inside to count the loot. "So...100,000 credits. This 'Master Chief' guy must be really important to have a price like that on his head."

"Yes. He is important." The Turian said icily. Ne'viri wisely decided to keep her mouth shut after that. She'd been in this business long enough to know the 'you're asking too many questions' tone when she heard it. She was curious, but given that she had just been given enough money to buy a few new air riders, she could live with the mystery.

Besides, she'd also been in this business long enough to know that there are some things you _don't _want to know.

The exchange complete, the Krogan and Turian climbed into the air van, which soared off onto parts unknown. Ne'viri closed the suitcase and set out to complete the final step of completing an exchange; get the hell out of dodge before the authorities come asking questions. She grabbed the case by the handle and stood up...

Only to see a Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle, the _classic _handheld plasma rifle, right up in her face.

"Tell me where the air van is going, Asari." The old Sangheili wielding the rifle growled threateningly. "And I may let you live."

...

21. Dammit. 1 over. What were the odds? Garrus really should've just cashed out at 17, but for one reason or other, he was feeling lucky and decided to roll one more time. He really should've known better. The Turian never did have much luck when it came Quasar.

He looked down at the small pile of chips that he had won thus far, which could be turned in for credits. He kept his foot on top of the pile the whole time to keep anyone from stealing it. His foot resembled a bird of prey's talons gently but firmly clutching its precious eggs. He hadn't won as much as he would've liked, but maybe he should turn them all in now before his luck turned worst. With a pent up sigh, the former C-Sec officer picked up the pile and turned them in.

Flux was currently the hottest new night club on Kithoi Ward, only opening just a few months ago. Garrus had been itching to come here for a while now, not so much for the dancing or loud music but rather the drinks and the gambling. Every C-Sec officer had their legal but questionable vices, and Garrus was no exception.

On his way out of the casino and the upper level, Garrus thought about getting one last drink on the way out. Tempting, but he decided against it. He'd need to be sober to find his way back to the _Normandy, _or Chief would leave him behind once they got a new mission. If Garrus was lucky. And after losing the last few rounds of Quasar, he didn't feel lucky.

Walking through the walkway that led from Flux to the Ward Markets, Garrus saw a lone figure loitering there, waiting for someone, most likely. He seemed to be wearing a long, brown robe of some kind, complete with a hood that left much of his face in shadow. However, given the height, the quad-jaws, and the way it constantly stood rigid and at attention, the figure was undoubtedly a Sangheili. Its head, which sat atop a long neck, craned toward the Turian.

"Garrus Vakarian." the figure said in a deep voice.

Garrus immediately turned towards the figure. "That IS your name, is it not?" the Sangheili pressed further.

Garrus paused to size up the Sangheili. He didn't see any weaponry on him, but that might've been what the robe was for, to conceal what weaponry he did have. Still, Garrus had a pistol, a shotgun, an assault rifle AND a sniper rifle, so at the very least, they'd be evenly matched.

"How do you know my name?" Garrus asked suspiciously.

"I am well-informed." the Sangheili replied. "Especially when it comes to the companion of a spartan."

That was a red alert in the Turian's mind. He whipped out his pistol and aimed it at the Sangheili's head. "What do you want with the Master Chief?" he demanded.

"To help him." The Sangheili replied. "For he requires it." the Sangheili slowly reached into his robe. Garrus thought it might be a weapon and moved closer. This inspired the elite to make slower, cautious movements, as he finally pulled out something; a datapad. "You may wish to listen to this." he said.

Garrus, not taking his gun off the Sangheili for a moment, took the datapad from him. The Turian's eyes briefly darted to the datapad. It was an audio recording. Garrus's eyes darted back to the Sangheili as he hit play.

Garrus heard voices. Voices he didn't recognize. Some words were a little hard to make out, but it sounded like a shady deal of some kind. However, one sentence really stuck out to the Turian.

_"So...100,000 credits. This 'Master Chief' guy must be really important to have a price like that on his head."_

Garrus blinked. Master Chief? That was the one the Krogan complained about, the Human that weighed a ton? The spartan had been kidnapped?

_"Yes. He is important."_ The Turian voice replied. Garrus could tell from his tone that he was politely telling the Asari to mind her own business. She wisely decided to shut up after that.

A few moments of silence. Then, Garrus heard the sounds of running footsteps followed by a plasma weapon warming up.

_"Tell me where the air van is going, Asari." _The cloaked Sangheili's voice came on the recording. _"And I may let you live."_

_"I don't know!" _the Asari replied. _"That's not my department! I just picked up and delivered the package!"_

_"Then you are useless to me..."_

_"WAIT! I heard one of them mention a name...Heart! They work for somebody named Heart! That's probably the guy who signs their pay checks! That's all I know, I swear!"_

_"...You have served your purpose. The galaxy will no longer suffer you, filth."_

_"What are you - WAIT!"_

The recording ended with the sound of the plasma weapon firing.

"I think we both know who was the most likely to order the Chief's capture." the mysterious Sangheili stated.

It didn't Garrus long to come up with a prime suspect. "Saren..." the Turian growled.

"Indeed." the stranger said with a nod. "Why his men took the Chief instead of outright killing him, I cannot say. But whatever he wants with the Chief, it can bode only ill for the galaxy. It is imperative that we find him."

The stranger activated his omni-tool which, oddly enough, appeared just fine even above his cloaked sleeve. "I ran a background check on this 'Heart.' It's a fairly uncommon name and I suspected that finding him would not be difficult. I was right. There is a warehouse registered in the name of a 'Dr. Heart' not far from here. I've little doubt the Master Chief was taken there."

Dr. Heart. That was the alias that Dr. Saleon, the twisted Salarian genetecist took on before Garrus lost track of him on Korlus. He'd been wanting to bring Saleon to justice for a while now...which made him suspicious. This seemed a little too well-tailored for the Turian.

"Why me?" Garrus asked.

"Because the warehouse is very close to here. You are the only one of the Chief's companions in this entire ward, and I'm afraid we can not wait for any of his other companions to come. Time is of the essence." the Sangheili explained.

"...If I found out you're lying to me, don't think I won't put a round in your skull." Garrus threatened.

Oddly enough, the stranger's jaws formed into the Sangheili equivalent of a smile. "I would expect no less." he said in an almost approving manner. "Come. We must go."

...

**Dun Dun DUUUUUUNNNNNN!**

**Also, yeah. I decided to make it so that Mgalekgolo were Dextro-eaters like the Turians and Quarians in this universe because, eh, why not**


	18. The Morning After Shore Leave

**I know what you're thinking. "Dinojake! What took you so long THIS time?"**

**Let's just say that you shouldn't sign up for an English Composition course AND a Creative Writing course in the same quarter. Writing class + Writing class = TOO MUCH EFFING HOMEWORK.**

**Moving on...**

...

1649 Hours, March 1st, 2683

Undisclosed Location

Citadel

Widow System, Serpent Nebula

...

The Master Chief had endured explosions, gunfire, and explosive decompressions of various kinds throughout his career. And yet, despite all that, the headache that the spartan woke up with was easily among the worst he ever had.

His vision slowly came into focus. The first thing he noticed was, much to his relief, the room he was in was poorly lit, which meant he didn't need to worry about harsh light making his migraine worst.

The next thing he noticed was that he saw no HUD in front of him. In fact, he wasn't wearing his armor at all. This realization made Chief shoot upright from the cot he was lying on. Adrenaline now flowing through his veins, his vision was fully restored instantly. He now knew that he was in a holding cell; a ten-by-ten room with a cot, a toilet, and a kinetic barrier that glowed a calm blue keeping him in.

On the other side of that barrier stood a Salarian and a Turian guard. The Salarian smiled. "Good to see you're up, Master Chief." he said.

The Salarian wore a white shirt of some kind that reminded Chief of a doctor's white jacket. His skin tone was a deep reddish-brown color. He had a long face with a slight graying to his eyes, as opposed to the usual stark black of most Salarian eyes, making Chief suspect that this was an older Salarian. The Turian was wearing minimal armor and carried an assault rifle. He had six orange stripes on his face that all intersected on his nose, giving his face the look of a sun or star.

"No doubt you're wondering where you are." the Salarian went on.

"I am, yes." the Chief deadpanned.

"My name is Dr. Heart, and you're currently being held in an undisclosed facility. You've been drugged with a very potent tranquilizer. The merc was going to use a _normal _dosage on you, so I paid her extra to quadruple the dose. I had a hypothesis that no normal toxin could knock you out, and it seemed I was right." he smiled. "Already, you've impressed me. The amount of Nerola Toxin you consumed would've killed most Humans."

The Chief stood up from the cot and walked over to the kinetic barrier. He stood a full head taller than both aliens. He scowled at them. "What do you want?"

"I was hired by a third party to capture you." Heart began.

"Let me guess. Saren Arterius?" Chief asked.

Heart chuckled and smirked. "Perceptive. And correct. It seems he's become...intrigued by your abilities. Easy to understand why."

"I take it you plan on dissecting me?" Chief asked.

Heart sighed longingly. "Unfortunately, no. It seems Saren wants you alive. He wants me to hold you here until some of his mercs arrive to take you." Heart examined the Chief the way a Human would examine a gorilla at the zoo. "Shame. The things I could learn from taking a closer look at you. Here I am, an accomplished biologist, geneticist and surgeon, and what does Saren want from me? To hold you as though I were a common warden. My talents are wasted."

"Where's my armor?" the Chief asked.

"...Do you really think I'm going to answer that?" Heart asked.

"Figured it was worth a try." Chief replied.

"You'll be held here until more of Saren's mercs arrive to pick you up. He wants to speak with you _personally. _Until then, we're done here." Heart said with a tone of finality. He snapped his fingers as he walked away, prompting his guard to follow him. Chief didn't take his gaze off the Salarian until he turned around the corner and didn't make a move until he could no longer hear the alien's footsteps.

Chief reared a fist back and punched the kinetic barrier as hard as he could. The only rewards he received were throbbing knuckles. The spartan had a feeling it wouldn't work. Heart probably installed the best kinetic barriers money could buy, knowing full well the Chief's strength. Still, it was worth a shot.

He punched each of the three walls in the room, testing for weaknesses. Nothing. The spartan grunted. No weapons, no armor, and caged like an animal. This was definitely not his finest hour. He sat down on the cot and thought, trying to formulate a plan. The only way he could get out was if a guard came to check on him. Perhaps he could pretend to be asleep, thus coercing the guard to turn off the kinetic barrier and enter the room? No, no guard would be foolish enough to wake a sleeping spartan, especially if they've been told of how dangerous he can be. Given the extent of the security of this cell, Chief was guessing that Heart and his men knew full well who they were up against.

It was then that the spartan came up with another idea. It seemed little better than the first, but given the circumstances, he didn't have much choice.

...

Even though Garrus Vakarian was the closest of Chief's squad to the warehouse (at least according to this mysterious Sangheili, whom Garrus STILL didn't trust), it still took them two hours to reach the block by air car. After the air car landed, the robed figure leaped out and led Garrus into an alley.

"We know not the strength of their defenses." the Sangheili said in a low voice. "It would be best to proceed cautiously."

"You still haven't told me who you are. Or why you're dressed like a Diluvian monk." he cracked.

"Let us say that I am a figure of great renown." the elite replied. "As much as I loathe this disguise, it is necessary. If my identity was revealed too soon, word would spread quickly, giving the scum holding the spartan time to take him elsewhere."

Garrus scoffed at that. "Figure of great renown? What are you, some kind of fleetmaster?"

"Not exactly." the elite replied.

The Sangheili suddenly stopped and crouched. Garrus instinctively imitated his movements. They had reached the end of the alleyway, and before them looked to be the back entrance of a truly massive warehouse. Hanging around the back were an assortment of Humans, Turians and Kig-Yar. All armed. Guards, most likely.

"We must proceed with stealth." the Sangheili said as he pulled out his plasma rifle. Garrus nodded as he took out his assault rifle.

"A little late for that, don't you think?"

Garrus and the stranger turned on their heels, Garrus drawing out his pistol and the stranger whipping out his plasma rifle. There stood a Turian, flanked by two Kig-Yar. Unlike the guards, these three looked to be heavily armed. Professional mercenaries, most likely. The Turian in the middle, likely the leader, gave a whistle and the less professional guards at the rear trotted over. The mercs and guards had the two surrounded.

"How did you-"

"Get the jump on you?" the Turian merc finished Garrus's question for him. "Not hard. We've got motion sensors set up within a fifty yard radius. We saw you coming the moment you hopped out of that air car." He took out a pistol and began checking the sights on it. "So, what brings a senior citizen and his volunteer aide to this part of the ward?"

The guards gave a scoffing chuckle in response. By the Spirits, Garrus hated chuckles like that. It was the kind of chuckle that gang members did to satisfy their leader, leading him to suspect that this was a local group of thugs hired by whoever kidnapped the Chief.

As Garrus scowled, the old stranger did something different. A smile. Or at least, the Sangheili equivalent of one. "Senior citizen, am I?" he asked.

"Well, I don't claim to be good at judging the ages of other races." the Turian said. "But you seem like a pretty old Sangheili to me."

"I am old." the stranger admitted. "But that does not make me defenseless." And with a motion of his wrists, he dropped his robe.

Garrus had never seen armor like it before. It was a deep bronze color with various intricate patterns that made it look almost ceremonial. The way it brilliantly reflected even the dimmest light showed that it had been pain-stakingly polished to a shine. The Sangheili put his plasma rifle on one thigh and pulled from the other thigh something else.

Sangheili Energy Swords were rarely seen outside of Sangheili space. The only other time in his entire life Garrus had ever seen one in person was during a visit to a museum on Tayseri Ward, specifically the Human-Covenant War exhibit that had been touring around Citadel Space a few years back. The blade opened up in a circle and ended in two tips that looked sharp enough to skewer a Krogan. Garrus didn't know much about Sangheili culture, but he did know that only the best of warriors wielded blades like that.

Garrus instantly knew who this stranger was.

As did the guards who turned tail and ran for their lives.

"What the?" the Turian yelped. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Far away from here!" yelled one guard.

"Heart ain't payin' us enough to take on the God Damn Arbiter!"

The Turian growled. "Those idiots may be scared by fancy arm-"

The Arbiter moved before the Turian merc could finish his sentence.

The elite rushed up to the Kig-Yar and lobbed his head off with a mighty swing. The Arbiter then whipped out his plasma rifle and struck the Turian across the head with it, knocking him to the ground. He then unloaded the rifle onto the other Kig-Yar, who was powerless against the onslaught. The Turian activated his omni-tool to radio the rest of the security force, to inform them of the intruders. But with another swing of his sword, the Arbiter took the omni-tool off.

Along with most of the Turian's arm.

Before he even had a chance to scream, or to even feel any pain from the loss of his arm, the Arbiter impaled the sword into the Turian's chest cavity. The merc gasped sharply as he felt his heart and lung being impaled, then went limp. The Arbiter withdrew the sword from the chest cavity and turned it off. As he holstered his sword, he turned to Garrus, who looked like he just saw a ghost.

"...Now you know why I had to wear a disguise." Arbiter Thel 'Vadam said. "My armor has a way of alerting others to my presence, which was something I wanted to avoid until we directly engaged the enemy."

...

Akirk Tenin sighed as he walked down the corridor. On any other day, he'd be home by now listening to his favorite musical score by composer Torn Myxix. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Heart was holding a "priority package" for Saren, he had all the guards working over time, both the day guys and the night guys. No one got in or out without Heart's say-so.

Akirk heard that the "priority package" in question was a person, a Human to be specific. Really big Human too from what the other guards have said. Nobody knew who he was exactly, but whoever he was, he was important and valuable enough to make Heart completely paranoid about security.

Akirk grunted. He didn't understand why Heart was so paranoid. Virtually _no one _knew about this place. What, did Heart think two or three guys were going to break in and start tearing shit up like in the action vids?

The Turian guard continued his way down the corridor. It was time to check on the priority package and, just his luck, it was Akirk's turn to do it now. He stopped in front of the cell and looked in. There was the Human, every bit as big as he had heard.

And he was lying on the floor. Face down. Not moving.

"Uh-oh." Akirk muttered to himself. "Hey! Get up!" he yelled. The Human still didn't move. Didn't look like he was breathing either.

Akirk's first response was to go back and call a doctor or something. Then he remembered who Heart put in charge of the guards that night; Gatatog Skorm. A particularly foul-tempered Krogan mercenary. Rumor was, he had a bad habit of beating the ever-loving crap out of anyone who gave him bad news. Skorm depended on this Human's well-being for his paycheck so he would damn near kill anyone who told him that said Human was dead. Akirk wasn't about to risk a beating like that if he could help it.

The Turian drew out his assault rifle as he punched in a key code to deactivate the barrier. He'd check on the Human himself; make sure he's actually dead. It was risky, but telling Skorm that their ten million-credit hostage might be dead was suicidal. He then walked into the cell, and started poking the Human's body with his toe.

"Come on, get up." he said with his assault rifle pointed at the Human for good measure. "I don't want to have to explai-"

Akirk was interrupted by a hand grabbing his ankle and pulling it. His feet pulled out from under him, the startled Turian fell flat on his back. The last thing he ever saw was a hand covering his face, and the last thing he ever heard was a sickening snap.

...

Playing possum was pretty easy. Just lie face down on the floor and breathe small breaths. For the last hour, Master Chief had put all his focus on his breathing, drawing in long, smooth and silent breaths, the idea being to keep his chest and belly from moving up and down to draw in breath, giving the appearance that he wasn't breathing at all. Breath control was a trick the spartan picked up during his mixed martial arts course, and it always proved to be a valuable skill during more delicate covert operations.

Chief was surprised the guard just took out his rifle, walked into the cell and just started poking him. The best Chief was hoping for was that the guard would go get help first, like a doctor or a few other guards. But no, the guard just opened the gate, giving the spartan the opportunity he wanted even sooner than he had hoped.

Not for the first time in his combat career, John-117 had got lucky.

After snapping the Turian's neck, Chief took his assault rifle and checked the corridor. All clear. It was nice to be holding a weapon again, but what he really needed was his armor. He felt rather naked, wearing nothing but his jumpsuit deep in an unknown facility filled with an unknown number of hostiles.

He went back into the cell and double-checked the guard's corpse for anything useful. He found a datapad on his belt. He took it out and read it.

_Akirk,_

_I heard that when they brought in that Krogan-sized Human, he was wearing some kind of weird armor. I hear they're studying it down in Lab 21. Maybe on break, we could sneak in and try it on?_

_Corsius_

The reply:

_Corsius,_

_You're a moron._

_Akirk_

Once again, the spartan had got lucky.

Now that he knew where his armor was, he felt a little more confidant about his escape. He'd sneak his way to Lab 21, grab his armor, and then just shoot his way out from there. Simple enough. He checked the corridor. Still all clear. He then quickly made his way to the elevator and pressed a button that took him down to the lab levels.

...

"Who are you?" the Salarian scientist yelped before drawing a pistol from the drawer, his assistant pulling out a pistol of his own. They didn't even get to raise their weapons before each one received a burst of bullets to their heads. Green blood freely leaking from the holes in their skulls, they went limb.

Master Chief stepped into the lab, closing and locking the door behind him. The two Salarians were dissecting the body of some sort of animal when he opened the door. They then presented themselves as threats, and were dispatched as such.

Rifle still in his hands, the Chief briskly walked past rows of operating tables towards the storage lockers at the end of the room. He didn't have an omni-tool so he couldn't manually unlock the lockers via decryption. So he opened them the old fashioned way; shooting the locks and then prying the door open with his bare hands.

He opened the first locker and only found a pistol and shotgun in it. These would be useful later on, but they weren't what he was looking for. He opened the second one which had two grenades. Once again, useful, but not what he was looking for. Eventually, he opened the seventh locker.

Master Chief felt relief wash over him as he found his visor staring back at him. He began to put it on. Putting on all his armor was a lengthy process, which was a source of great anxiety given the current circumstances. The only entrance to the lab was locked, but that didn't mean this room would remain secure for long. Sooner or later, someone was going to notice the dead guard in his cell and start looking for him. Outside the lab door was a long, narrow corridor that could very easily be made into a killing zone. If Heart's goons figured out he was in here, they would be able to trap him very easily. Chief quickened his pace as he put on his armor. He needed to be well on his way out of this facility before that happened.

At long last came the finishing piece to his armor; the helmet. "Cortana, are you alright?" he asked.

Silence.

"Cortana?"

More silence. Master Chief checked the back of his helmet to make sure Cortana's chip was alright. Only to find out it wasn't there.

They had Cortana. This complicated things.

Chief immediately rushed over to a computer and accessed it. While he didn't consider himself much of a techie, he knew how to run a basic search. He searched the most recent logs for any mention of Cortana. He used every search term he could think of. Cortana, AI, Smart AI, CTN 0452 - 9, nothing. There was absolutely no mention of Cortana or any other AI in the research logs. He cleared the search history. He didn't want to leave behind any implications to Cortana's existence if he could help it, not that it made much difference seeing as the bad guys probably know about her now anyway.

Chief paused, trying to think of what to do. It went without saying that he couldn't leave this facility without Cortana, but he had no idea where to even begin to look for her. Not only did Chief not have any idea how big this place was, he also had no idea what kind of enemies were here. This place could be housing an entire army of Geth for all he knew, so aimlessly wandering from room to room looking for the AI could wind up getting him killed.

Master Chief genuinely wished he had his team with him. Fred, Linda, Kelly and Will would all be a big help right now. He wasn't so sure if he could find Cortana on his own. Granted, he had done just that once before inside the Flood-ridden High Charity, but at least then he had some idea of where to go.

It was then that he had heard it. An alarm began to blare over the loudspeakers. Chief was all but convinced that Heart had just found his cell with a dead guard where a live spartan should be and had just sounded the alarm. Finding Cortana would be even harder now that the place was swarming with guards.

"Intruder alert. Intruder alert." the VI calmly announced over the alarms. "Forced entry in the Surface Level Warehouse. All available combat units respond. Intruder alert. Intruder alert." The message then repeated.

Intruders. Master Chief heard no mention of his escape. That meant the guards didn't know that he had escaped his cell, and likely wouldn't find out for a while since they were now too busy dealing with intruders in the facility to notice him. Perhaps finding Cortana on his own wouldn't be so hard after all.

Chief then thought of something. What if he didn't have to find her on his own? What if the intruders were his own team? Kaidan, Ashley, Wrex, Garrus, Tali, Liara and N'tho. They were no blue team, but they would do. Chief shook away the thought. That would be the best-case scenario, something that should never be automatically assumed to be true.

But what if it was true? What if the intruders really were his team? If it was, shouldn't he head up to the warehouse and help them? No doubt that they would be meeting heavy resistance. And they could help him look for Cortana afterwards. He'd be able to split the team up, cover more ground, find the AI faster. He wouldn't actually tell them what they were looking for, of course. He'd have to come up with a cover story. A chip that contained vital documents to tracking Saren's progress? Or maybe a possible map to the conduit? He'll come up with something.

Then again, it might not be his team. It could simply be a rival band of mercenaries here to also claim the Master Chief, or maybe something else entirely. If that was the case, then heading up to the warehouse would be a waste of valuable time. Most of the guards had rushed up to deal with the threat, leaving the rest of the facility unprotected, allowing the spartan to move about it more freely. You don't pass up that kind of opportunity lightly.

It was an agonizing choice. Risk the team? Or risk Cortana? He needed more intel.

He went back to the computer and hacked into the security camera system. He wasn't anywhere near as good with computers as Cortana was, but he was a quick study. He learned some basic hacking techniques from tinkering with his omni-tool during his down-time between missions. It helped kill time.

Eventually, he hacked into the camera network. The spartan looked through the eye of a security camera in the surface warehouse. Much to his surprise, there were only two intruders, and much to his amazement, they were doing a surprisingly good job of holding their own. He zoomed in on what looked like a Turian with a sniper rifle. The single horizontal blue stripe on his face was a dead giveaway; Garrus.

His team HAD come to his rescue. Not the whole team unfortunately, but it was better than nothing.

Chief zoomed out and swiveled the camera toward the other intruder, a Sangheili. He noticed the tell tale silhouette of an elite when the screen first popped up and thought it was N'tho at first glance. But when he zoomed in, he couldn't believe his eyes.

It wasn't N'tho, but apparently, it was still an old friend.

...

The Arbiter roared as he vaulted over a row of crates he'd been hiding behind and charged right into the midst of a couple of Turian guards. Their assault rifles were blazing, but Thel had his overshield active, so the bullets concerned him little.

With one mighty swing of his energy sword, he decapitated one of the guards. As the headless body slumped to the floor, the Arbiter turned to the other guard, who had his assault rifle raised. Suddenly, blue blood burst forth from the side of the other guard's head before he too fell and joined his fellow fallen soldier. Thel smiled. The spartan's Turian companion was indeed a good shot. Easy to see why Chief felt he was good company.

The Arbiter noticed that his shields were getting low, so he decided it wise to take cover against another row of crates. As his shields recharged, he sheathed his sword and took out his type-56 carbine, a weapon that had served him well over the decades. Once his shields were back at full power, the old Sangheili warrior popped out of cover and returned fire. He aimed primarily for his foes' heads, as kinetic barriers are often weakest there. Three more enemies fell before he had to duck back into cover to give his shields a chance to recharge while he waited for his weapon to cool. He was always proficient with a blade, but he was no stranger to long-range combat either.

It was then that, at the back of the room, an elevator door opened.

The Master Chief rushed out of the elevator and into the fray, sprinting towards three thugs who had their backs to the spartan as they fired at the elite and the Turian from their elevated position on a raised platform. Chief hit the one on the right with a rifle butt to the back of the neck. The thug limply fell over the side of the railing. Before the other two thugs could even notice and get some retaliatory fire off, the spartan gunned them down with his assault rifle. He then turned toward the other defending thugs and fired down on them.

The Arbiter checked behind him to find another merc who had tried to sneak up on him. Emphasis on tried. His shields flared and blood began spouting out of his torso before he fell limply to the floor. He knew it didn't come from Garrus. The Turian was using a sniper rifle, not an assault rifle. That, and the bullets seemed to be coming from another direction. Thel craned his neck to the source of the fire; the spartan.

"He needs no rescue. I am not surprised." Thel muttered to himself before opening fire on another pair of hapless mercs. The mercs were caught between a Turian's sniper rifle, a Sangheili's blade, and a SPARTAN-II's assault rifle. They didn't last much longer.

Once he was sure that all hostiles were down and no more were on the way, at least not immediately, Master Chief came out from his cover and walked over to the Arbiter. Garrus trotted over to the two as they met face to face. The Master Chief and the Arbiter stood there for a good ten seconds, sizing each other up.

"So." Master Chief said, breaking the silence. "Are you..._my_ Arbiter? Or you just the latest one to be wearing the costume?"

"I am the same Arbiter that fought alongside you at the Battle of the Ark, spartan." Arbiter replied.

"I take it Sangheili have longer life-spans than Humans?" Master Chief asked.

"Roughly three times as long." Arbiter replied with a nod.

"Wait." Garrus said. "You two...know each other?"

"We go back a ways." Chief replied. "Surprised you were able to find him, Garrus."

"He found me." Garrus corrected as he scratched the side of his forehead.

"I imagine you have many questions for me, spartan." Arbiter said. "But there will be time for that later. For now, I feel it best that we leave this place before more guards show up."

Chief paused. He couldn't leave without Cortana. "We can't leave yet." he said. "We have to head deeper into the facility."

"Head deeper into a base full of trigger-happy mercs." Garrus said. "I take it we have a good reason to do that?"

"The one who captured me is a Salarian named Dr. Heart. He's working for Saren." Master Chief said. "We're in one of Saren's _bases_. This is a rare opportunity to gather intelligence on our target."

It wasn't a lie. Not technically, anyway. It was possible that they would find an important piece of intelligence while looking for Cortana.

Garrus seemed to tighten his grip on his sniper rifle for some reason. Chief noticed. "I take it this is the same Dr. Heart that got away from you a few years back?" Chief asked.

"Depends. Long-faced? Reddish-brown skin?" Garrus questioned. Chief nodded in reply. "_Saleon_." Garrus growled. "Yeah, that's him alright. He's done a lot of bad over the years. If he's working for Saren, all the more reason to take him down."

"Are you certain we'll find something of value to you inside this base, spartan?" Thel asked.

"Worth a try." Chief answered.

"Very well then." the old Sangheili said with a nod of ascension. "Since you escaped from your holding place, I presume you're more familiar with the base's layout than we are. Lead on."

...

It was slow work, going from room to room. Looking inside every locker, every crate, every drawer, hoping to find what they were looking for. Scratch that. What the Master Chief was looking for. As far as Garrus and the Arbiter knew, they were looking for intelligence, nothing more. The spartan would rather keep it that way. He respected the two aliens, but not enough to tell them about a dear friend whose very existence could be considered a war crime.

They searched the facility from room to room, floor by floor. Some rooms had guards, others didn't. Some hallways had to be fought through, others didn't. Between a Human super-soldier, a Sangheili holy warrior, and a Turian with particularly good aim, the guards weren't very much trouble. It helped that they were mostly encountered in groups of no more than a dozen at a time. Chief guessed that Heart had divided his army of guards into search parties. He most likely realized that Chief had escaped by now. The spartan had Garrus start every firefight with an overload from his omni-tool, hoping that taking out the radios first would make it more difficult to track their movements.

Chief was admittedly curious about how the Arbiter knew he was in trouble, as well as how he knew where Garrus was. He was also curious about how the Arbiter knew where the spartan was being held. He seemed to know a lot of things. Granted, the Arbiter was a very highly-ranked position within the Sangheili Empire, or at least Chief guessed it was. It made sense that he'd be well-informed. But still, the Arbiter's presence here was a little too convenient.

Chief decided to keep a lid on his curiosity for now. As the Arbiter himself had said, there would be time for questions later.

Eventually, they came to the fourth level of the facility, making the trio wonder just how many levels this place had. It seemed to go on forever. Chief found it hard to believe that this was all on the Citadel, and that C-Sec somehow didn't know about it. They were on the lab levels now, same level where Chief had found his armor. It suddenly made sense that Cortana would be stored somewhere on this floor. She was an AI unlike any other. Of _course_ she was being studied in a lab. Chief kicked himself for not checking here earlier, but then again, he needed to be sure that Cortana wasn't on any of the floors above them. Plus, the three of them eliminated many guards on the way down here, each one having had the potential to hinder the extraction mission later on. So it wasn't a _complete_ waste of time.

They opened a door labeled _Lab 49_. The three of them made their way in.

It was a long room. Only fifteen feet wide but fifty feet long. Six lab tables crowded their half of the room, with a viewing screen mounted on a wall. On the other side of the lab were what looked like two large metal storage containers. On each side of each container were drawers that pulled out. Garrus went over to look through the drawers as the Master Chief and the Arbiter searched the tables. Garrus pulled on one of the drawers and out came what looked like hunks of ice.

"Iced samples." Garrus noted. "This must be a cold storage room." He placed a hand on one of the hunks. "Not that cold though. I think I can hold one without giving my hands frostbite." With that, he held up one of the hunks of ice and took a look into it. There was a very odd shape in it.

"What is it?" Thel asked, suddenly curious as to what Garrus was investigating.

"Don't know." Garrus answered. "Some kind of...animal I think. Looks insectoid."

Chief was hacking a computer as Thel walk over to Garrus to look at the ice samples. Chief glanced at the two aliens. Even though he was fairly sure the Arbiter's species lacked the capacity to blush or blanche, given their scaly skin, Chief could've sworn that he saw the Sangheili's face lose a lot of color upon seeing what Garrus held. He craned his neck in the spartan's direction.

"Master Chief." he said. "You must see this." his voice had suddenly gone quiet, as if fearful that speaking too loud would make something bad happen. Chief walked over to Garrus and Thel to see what had so disturbed the Arbiter.

Locked in the hunk of ice that Garrus held was a creature. It had a snot-green bulbous upper body that had a cone-like shape to it that drooped in the back, giving it the look of a grotesque balloon that had been partially deflated. The lower body was basically just tentacles. The two longest ones ended in what looked like red feather dusters.

Chief shook his head. Of all the things in the galaxy to run into...

"Chief..." Garrus said. "What is this?"

Chief looked up at the Turian. "It's the Flood."

...

**Dun Dun DUUUUUUN!**

**EDIT: Re-uploaded due to technical difficulties. Sorry for the inconvenience.**


	19. Cat's Out of the Bag

1727 Hours, March 1st, 2683

Undisclosed Location

Citadel

Widow System, Serpent Nebula

...

The Flood. Arguably the most vile sentient beings ever produced by evolution. They were a race of parasites that fed off other sentient races of sufficient biomass and cognitive ability; such as Humans and Sangheili. They infected their victims by having small infection forms (like the one encased in ice) burrow into the victim's skin. It attacks the nervous system via the spine, often killing the host instantly, which may be for the better considering what happens afterwards. The host then rapidly and violently mutates into a flood-like version of itself as its very genetic code is forcibly re-written by the Flood. The Flood were such a biological anomaly, so completely unlike any other form of life, that many scientists theorized that it somehow came from another galaxy entirely.

One-hundred thousand years ago, the Forerunners and the Flood fought each other in a war that spanned the galaxy. Seeing that they were slowly but surely losing the conflict, the Forerunners built the Halo Network, which would wipe the galaxy clean of all sentient life, denying the Flood their primary food source. The Forerunners intended to seek shelter within shield worlds, but the Flood broke through their lines and threatened to shut down Halo before any Forerunner was anywhere near a shield world. Seeing no other choice but to fall on the sword for the sake of every sentient species stowed away on the Ark, they activated Halo. Killing every sentient being in the galaxy, including themselves.

It worked, up until the Flood was re-awakened on Installation 04 during the Human-Covenant War. On several other occasions afterward, the Master Chief had to deal with the Flood. He had hoped that detonating the newly rebuilt Installation 04 right next to the Ark would end the Flood threat forever.

But like with most of his other expectations since awakening from cryo, the Master Chief's expectations regarding the Flood had been dashed.

"_This _is the Flood?" Garrus asked. "The parasitic species that wiped out the Forerunners?"

"The same." Thel answered.

"Fascinating creatures, aren't they?"

As that unknown voice spoke, a buzzing sound was heard, coming from the door. The green door switch suddenly turned red, as locking sounds were heard. The viewing screen mounted on the wall activated. Garrus put the frozen flood form down as he, the Arbiter, and the Master Chief all walked up to the viewing screen. It was the long, cold visage of Dr. Heart.

"_Saleon..._" Garrus hissed.

"Garrus Vakarian?" Saleon asked. "Well now, THIS is a surprise. You of all people here. Small galaxy."

"I hear you're working for Saren now." Garrus growled.

"More or less." Saleon replied. "He funds my research, and in return, I study things he'd like studied."

"Like the Flood." Chief said.

"Indeed." Saleon said with a nod. "As I said before, they are fascinating creatures. Completely unlike any other form of life I've studied." He then activated his omni-tool and started pressing some buttons. "Here. Let me show you..."

WIth that, the image on the screen switched from Saleon to some unknown Turian. He was in a stark white room of some sort. There were two doors on each side. Both of them were closed and apparently locked, or at least one of them as the Turian banged on one of them, seemingly desperate to get out.

The second door opened, and out crept a Flood infection form. The Turian panicked at the sight of it and began banging on the door faster and harder. The Flood began crawling towards the Turian with a terrifying speed, zeroing in on its target. It leapt and landed on the Turian's neck. The alien panicked and screamed as he tried to get the parasite off, but he was too late.

The Flood burrowed beneath his skin, which immediately took on the pale-green color of the Flood. His body began to warp and the sound of bones snapping could be heard. Unnatural growths appeared on his body. Tentacles sprouted from one knee and one elbow. The most violent change was the Turian's head; it split into four pieces as the Flood's 'head' began to sprout from his throat, a revolting face with only tentacles and red feather-duster feelers. It wore the jaw below, the mandibles on either side of its 'head,' and the skull, eyes still full of horror, sat atop the Flood's 'head' like some sort of grotesque hat.

The image then shifted from that morbid scene back to Saleon. "Incredible, isn't it?" Saleon asked. "In the early experiments, I remember being absolutely awestruck by the rate of mutation. The Flood infection form burrows beneath the skin, directly attacks the spinal cord and nervous system, and settles into the host's chest cavity as it causes rapid physical mutation and completely rewrites the host's genetic code. All in the span of just a few seconds. Amazing, isn't it?"

Chief looked towards the Arbiter, who glared at the Salarian with nothing but hatred burning in his eyes. No surprise there. It was easy to hate Saleon after finding out about something like this. He then turned towards Garrus. Chief didn't know that Turians had pigments in their skin like Humans, but apparently they did as Garrus seemed to lose some color in his face after watching that poor soul get infected by the Flood. Chief was betting that that legendary Turian discipline was the only reason Garrus hadn't vomited at such a sight.

Eventually, some color returned to Garrus's face as he cast off his horror and re-discovered his fury. "Just when I thought you couldn't get more sick..." he said quietly. "You go and surprise me..."

"Where did you find the Flood?" Chief asked.

"Ask Saren." Saleon replied. "He's the one who sent the Flood to me in crates smuggled through C-Sec Customs. He wouldn't say where he found them though."

"What is the meaning behind this madness..." Thel asked, quietly and coldly. "What does Saren hope to gain from these twisted experiments?"

"Once again, you'd have to ask Saren since he wouldn't tell me." Saleon answered. "I suppose he's the sort who likes to keep his employees on a 'need-to-know' basis. But unlike your last question, I think the answer to this question is rather obvious. He wants to weaponize the Flood. Use it against his enemies."

"If Saren thinks he can control the parasite, then he is a fool." The Arbiter darkly replied. "You are tampering with powers beyond your comprehension, Salarian. Your foolhardy actions here will doom us all!"

"Arbiter's right." Chief said. "The Flood aren't just a species; they're a plague. Experimenting with them on a station as densely-populated as the Citadel is just asking for trouble."

"Oh please. You're not talking to a two-year-old." Saleon scoffed. "I am well aware of the dangers posed by the Flood, and have taken all the necessary precautions. Why do you think I keep them on ice when I'm not experimenting with them? Speaking of ice..."

The Salarian then pressed a few buttons on his omni-tool. Gas started slowly pouring in from the vents.

"That gas is nitrogen." Saleon began. "It will reduce the core temperature of the room, and will eventually send the three of you into a hypothermic state. Once you're too busy shivering to put up much of a fight, I'll send my guards in to fetch you Chief. And maybe your Sangheili friend as well. The Arbiter could make for a good bargaining chip."

Saleon grinned evilly. "As for you, Garrus. Well, Turians aren't as tolerant of low temperatures as Humans and Sangheili are. You'll likely die of hypothermia long before your two friends here pass out."

"When I get out of here, I'm going to kill you." Garrus threatened. "You _won't _get away from me this time."

"Even if you do get out, I don't think Master Chief would let you do that. After all..." Saleon then reached into a pocket on his white shirt. He pulled out a chip.

A blue chip.

A blue data crystal chip.

"He wouldn't want anything bad to happen to his little friend here, now would he?" Saleon mockingly asked before tucking the chip back into his pocket, patting it for safe-keeping.

Chief's fists balled in anger.

"Farewell, Garrus." Saleon said before the feed cut out. Not a second later did Garrus walk over to the door and activated his omni-tool, immediately setting to work.

"I swear to the spirits, I'm putting a hole RIGHT in his head..." Garrus seethed.

_Not unless I get to him first. _Chief thought to himself.

The spartan walked over to the Turian to observe his progress. Even though he only had three fingers on each hand, those three fingers on Garrus's right hand moved like lightning. Chief also noticed the Turian agent's mandibles were clicking together for some odd reason. It took a second for the spartan to realize that Garrus was shivering. He was already feeling the cold. Chief looked back over to the Arbiter, who was stalking up and down the room, looking for another way out. He walked back over to the spartan and Turian, shrugging helplessly. Looks like all their hopes would lie with Garrus's hacking skills.

"Any progress on the door?" Chief asked.

"Almost." Garrus replied. "I'm also running an analysis program. It's piecing together a complete map of this place, as well as tracking Saleon's broadcast signal. Once this door's open, we can all make a beeline right for him."

"Sounds good." Chief said with a nod. The spartan was worried that Garrus might ask about the 'little friend' Saleon said he was holding, but it seemed as though the Turian was too angry to be curious with anything at the moment. As for the Arbiter, he probably knew what was on that chip, but knew better than to talk about it in front of someone who may or may not know. After a few minutes, the door opened, earning a Turian smile from Garrus.

"What? Did Saleon think I just got out of tech class?" Garrus quipped before trotting out of the room, the Master Chief and the Arbiter close behind. The Turian took a moment to shiver pleasantly as warm air once again graced his skin. Chief was only willing to afford the Turian a second of that luxury before getting to business.

"Where's Saleon?" Chief asked.

Garrus activated his omni-tool and started tapping buttons on it. A three-dimensional holographic map of the complex appeared. One room, which was located several levels below them, was highlighted in red. "There." Garrus said as he pointed to it. "Looks like his personal lab."

"We need to move." Chief said. "Lead the way."

With that, Garrus took off running in what Chief hoped was the way to Saleon's personal lab. The Turian was running as fast as his legs could go. Chief was actually surprised by how fast the ex-cop was moving; the spartan actually had to _try _to keep up. Garrus was also surprisingly adept at turning abruptly around corners as he lead the Chief and the Arbiter on through the winding corridors of Saleon's lair. Five minutes passed, and then they ran into some trouble midway down a long hallway.

A dozen or so Unggoy, along with two Krogan, suddenly emerged from behind a door and they all opened fire on the three. Spartan time kicked in for the Chief. Charging into that many guns was unwise to say the least, so continuing to run forward was out. He grabbed Garrus, who was still moving, by the back of the collar and flung him into a room on the Chief's right. The spartan then pulled out his pistol and returned fire as he spotted the Arbiter also diving into the room out of the corner of his eye. He then moved into the room himself as he continued to return fire.

As Garrus got up from being manhandled, he took a look around what looked like a storage room of some kind and spotted a computer on a desk. An idea suddenly came to him and he zipped to the computer, his fingers a flurry as they tapped like mad on the keyboard.

"What are you doing?" Chief asked as he kept firing at the group of thugs. He could take out those Unggoy easily enough, but the Krogan were another issue. The Arbiter dove across the hallway into another room opposite Chief's and started firing down the hallway himself.

"Calling C-Sec." Garrus replied. "I'm activating a distress program which will bring C-Sec response teams here in about, oh, ten minutes or so. They can help us clear out these mercs, and then quarantine the facility so they can dispose of the Flood. Problem is, I can't mask the signal which means once I'm done, Saleon will likely try to make a break for it."

"_Great_." Chief said as he threw a grenade down the hall. The blast took out most of the Unggoy, setting off a chain reaction that turned the diminutive aliens' methane-filled backpacks into explosives. The only survivors of the blast were the two Krogan, who both quickly fell to the Chief's and Arbiter's combined firepower. "Hall's clear. Let's get a move on."

"This way!" Garrus said as he took off once again, the spartan and the Sangheili hot on his heels. The ran down a few more hallways and turned a few more corners until they came to an elevator. Garrus punched in the desired floor and the elevator descended.

Master Chief felt frustrated. Garrus calling C-sec seemed like a good idea at first. The three of them against dozens, maybe even hundreds of mercs and thugs? Those weren't the best odds Chief ever had in a fight, so a cavalry would be appreciated. However, the fact that Saleon was likely aware of the distress signal and about to try and get away was worrying. If Saleon got away, it was likely he'd be taking Cortana with him. And with that risk, came the risk of Cortana falling into Saren's hands. That was unacceptable. Chief secretly resented the Turian for putting the AI in danger. No matter. Chief would fight on to Saleon's lab, apprehend the Salarian, and get Cortana back. And then he and Garrus would have a chat about doing something radical like that without first seeking authorization from the Chief first.

After an agonizing twenty-eight seconds, the elevator doors opened to reveal another hallway. Garrus took off, once again leading with his omni-tool displaying the map. Arbiter and the Chief were close behind.

It was then that, out of nowhere, a kinetic barrier activated, separating Garrus from the spartan and the Sangheili. Both slammed their fists on the blue wall. "Kinetic barrier." Garrus said before giving the wall a few kicks himself. "Must be part of Saleon's security measures. I'll see if I can find a way around for you."

"No!" Chief snapped before Garrus could even check the map on his omni-tool. "There's no time! We'll find a way around on our own. You have to get to Saleon before he escapes and get that blue data chip he has!"

Garrus looked at the Chief, then nodded. "You're right." He paused. "Wait...why's the data chip important?"

"Just get it from him!" Chief harshly said. "That's an order!"

The Turian seemed taken aback by the spartan's outburst, but nodded. "You can count on me." With that, the Turian turned around and ran down the corridor, turning sharply around a corner and ran out of sight.

"Is that chip important for the reasons I suspect?" the Arbiter asked.

"It is." Chief confirmed. "Now come on. We need to find an alternate route."

...

Garrus kept one eye on the map and another eye on the hallway in front of him as he ran as hard and as fast as he could. Every passing second was another opportunity for Saleon to get away. Garrus wasn't going to let that happen. Not again. Not after all he had done.

He ran up to a door, and opened it. Only after opening did the Turian realize that he had already arrived at Saleon's private lab. So lost in his outrage, Garrus had arrived at the lab sooner than he had expected. Not that he was complaining. He saw Saleon looking up at him from the case he was frantically packing and widened his eyes. A split-second later, Saleon reached under his desk and pulled out a pistol. Garrus reacted.

The former C-Sec officer shot the pistol out of Saleon's hand, earning a yelp of pain from the Salarian as he gripped his hand and muttered curses. Garrus scoffed. "Oh quit crying. I barely hit you." Pistol still raised, Garrus slowly closed in on the geneticist.

Now that Saleon wasn't pointing a gun at him, Garrus could take a more detailed look around the room. It was a large room with four operating tables, much like in the other labs he, the Chief and the Arbiter searched through earlier. Saleon's desk was located at the far end of the room, opposite the door. Garrus noticed six glass tube-like chambers embedded in the wall, each one with a living Flood Infection form inside. The repulsive little creatures bounced up and down inside their prisons and slapped the glass with their tentacles, desperate to get at the two tasty piles of biomass in the room. There was also a glass window and glass door that peeked in on an adjacent chamber. Test chamber no doubt, similar to the one where the Turian in the vid was infected.

One operating table had what looked like a Flood creature lying on it. Garrus glanced at it, thankful that it seemed to be very much dead. Its torso was cut open, skin flaps pinned to the sides, showing that it was being studied. Garrus couldn't for the life of him guess what this poor creature used to be before the Flood got to it...

...Up until he saw what looked like a mouth frozen in horror, forever screaming, as well as the tell-tale grooves of an Asari's scalp.

Garrus's mandibles clicked together briefly, the only tell to his fury. He turned his cold gaze back on Saleon. "You're a sick bastard. You know that?"

"Yes. You've called me that before." Saleon replied with a sneer. He was still gripping the hand that held a gun moments before, giving the Turian a glare as he tried to squeeze the pain away.

Garrus then remembered what the Chief ordered him to do. He held out a hand. "I believe you have something that belongs to a friend of mine."

To his credit, Saleon was smart enough not to do anything worst than grunt as he took the data crystal chip out of his pocket and handed it to Garrus. "Just out of curiosity...did the Master Chief tell you what was on the chip?"

"No." Garrus replied as he put the chip into his own pocket.

"I see that Saren's not the only one who likes to keep things on a need-to-know basis." Saleon sardonically replied. "So, I take it I'm under arrest?"

"...No." Garrus said. "I _have _you. I'm not going to risk you getting away again."

Saleon raised an eyebrow in response. Before he could do anything else, Garrus holstered his pistol and grabbed the Salarian by the collar and walked over to the glass door to the test chamber. He pressed a button on a control panel which opened the door, and then tossed Saleon into the chamber. Garrus closed the door and locked it as the geneticist struggled to his feet.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Saleon demanded.

"Poetic justice." Garrus cryptically answered as he pressed a few more buttons on the control panel by the door. With that done, he left the laboratory without saying another word.

Saleon briefly wondered just what the hell Garrus did, until he heard another door within the test chamber open. He turned and his eyes widened in terror as he saw a Flood infection form enter the chamber.

"Wait! Come back!" Saleon yelled as he pounded his fists on the glass. "You can't do this to me!" Saleon backed away from the glass and into a corner as he felt his whole body begin to shake and his stomach tightening up in fear. "Stay back! STAY BACK!" he yelled at the Flood. His pleas fell on deaf ears as the little creature lunged.

Garrus closed the office door on his way out of Saleon's lab. Good. Even if the bastard was getting what he deserved, he'd rather not actually hear Saleon's screams.

...

Cortana was nervous. She spent the first hour of the ordeal inside her chip, alone. All alone. No access to any data of any kind except the data already on her chip.

She knew that Chief had been kidnapped by thugs, hired by Saren most likely. Cortana tried to raise someone on radio, only to find that the signal was being blocked. The thugs were evidently smart enough to transport the chief in a van custom-built to block any outgoing radio signals. She tried to raise the radio at the warehouse, but it blocked outgoing radio signals too. She and Chief were on their own. As the Chief was stripped of his armor by the goons, her chip was ripped out of the helmet.

That was when everything went dark.

There were no cameras or microphones or anything on the chip itself, so as long as Cortana wasn't plugged into something, she was deaf and blind. It was a claustrophobic feeling, to say the least. She briefly entertained going into data storage like on the _Forward Unto Dawn_, but she quickly ruled it out. She'd need a bigger hard drive than just her lonely little chip in order to put herself into cold storage until she was plugged into something again.

UNSC smart AI's needed to be thinking, computing, virtually ALL the time. A single second without any new data or even old data to review was absolutely maddening to them. In short, they didn't do well in isolation. Fortunately, Cortana managed to keep herself entertained by reviewing the history of the Forerunners and the Flood. Then, she went over various theories for how the Protheans and the 'Reapers' fit into the equation.

After interacting with Mendicant Bias on the Ark and being given access to many different Forerunner historical records, Cortana thought the puzzle was finally complete. Yes, she learned on Installation 04 that the Forerunners were wiped out by the Halo array in an attempt to deny the Flood victory, but it was on the Ark that she learned all the how's and why's behind that action. The Forerunners had originally intended to seek refuge in 'shield worlds' just before activating Halo, but when the Flood began to attack the rings, the Forerunners had to abandon that idea in order to protect the rings. Without the rings, the plan was fubar.

Cortana was a little confused by this revelation at first. Why would the Forerunners abandon their only hope of surviving Halo to protect Halo? Why not just lock themselves up in their shield worlds and wait the Flood out? The Flood would go on to consume all sentient life in the galaxy, but once they were done, they'd move on. And when that happened, the Forerunners would come out and rebuild their civilization. Why martyr themselves?

When Cortana learned the answer to that question, she couldn't help but be a little bit moved. She learned that Forerunner culture valued one thing above all else; Life. Variety. Biological organisms and the genetic diversity thereof. They held life itself in nothing short of reverence. From the humblest grass plant to the most complex-thinking sentient life form, all life was considered precious by the Forerunners. It was for this very reason that the idea behind the Halo Network was heavily opposed at first. To wipe out all sentient life forms in the galaxy just to deny a hated foe resources was at first seen as a betrayal of everything their civilization stood for. But ultimately, they reluctantly followed through with the plan.

But they would not condemn lesser sentient races. That was the purpose behind the Ark. It wasn't just to serve as a fail safe for the Halo Network. It was to serve as a refuge for sentient life. The Forerunners brought the ancient ancestors of virtually every sentient race in the galaxy, even Humans, to the Ark so that they'd have a place to live, far away from Halo. Once Halo was activated and the Flood completely died out, the sentient races would then be returned to their original homeworlds, and then life could begin anew.

That was why the Forerunners martyred their entire species. One way or another, Halo had to be activated. If it didn't, the Flood would continue gaining strength, and eventually find its way to the Ark, completely undoing everything the Forerunners fought for. The Forerunners _could _have fallen back to their shield worlds and simply wait out the Flood, but they knew that to do that would be to abandon all the sentient life forms on the Ark to their fate. To turn their backs on all those sentient species would be to turn their backs on everything they believed in. With the Forerunners gone, it fell to their AI's to return each sentient race to its original homeworld once the Flood was dead. The Forerunners made the ultimate sacrifice so that the next generation of sentient races could have a future.

The Ark served as a shelter for the ancestors of all sentient races. That didn't just include Humanity and the Covenant races, but likely all the new species that Cortana had encountered since reawakening in the 27th Century. Turians, Batarians, Krogan, Asari, Drell, they all had the Forerunners to thank for their continued existence, whether they knew it or not. Even the ancestors of the Protheans were likely given shelter on the Ark, at a time when that species was likely little more advanced than stone age Man.

The Protheans seemed to advance much sooner than all the other races did, for whatever reason. They even created their own form of FTL travel; the Mass Relay network. And then, much like the Forerunners that came before them, the Protheans suddenly vanished, leaving precious little clues of what happened to them. Unlike the Forerunners, Cortana had no idea what happened to the Protheans. She used to think that the extinctions of the Forerunners and the Protheans were two different events, completely unrelated to one another. However, after hearing the theories of Dr. Liara T'soni soon after the Master Chief rescued her on Therum, Cortana began to re-examine that previous conclusion.

According to Dr. T'soni, the galaxy was built on what she called a 'cycle of extinction.' An empire spanning the galaxy will rise up, and at the height of its power, it will be suddenly and dramatically torn down. A new civilization would then rise up, usually basing its own technology at least partially on the technology of the previous civilization. Once it reaches the height of its power, it too would suddenly disappear. And so on and so on, for thousands, perhaps even millions of years. According to her, the Forerunners were simply another entry in that cycle.

Cortana knew for a fact that the Forerunners were wiped out by the Flood. Perhaps the Protheans made the same mistake the Covenant made on Installation 04; finding the Flood on a Halo ringworld and then accidentally setting it loose on the galaxy, ultimately ending their civilization. Perhaps that's what the 'Reapers' were. That was simply what the Protheans chose to call the Flood.

But if that theory were true, then the Flood would've set its sights on Humanity and the other sentient races once they were done with the Protheans. As a sentient species, Humans would've been even more appetizing to the Flood than during the Forerunner era, seeing as mankind had fifty thousand years to develop since the Forerunners. So why pass the Humans over? The other sentient species would've been easy prey for the Flood as well. Why pass them over too? Why pass damn near everyone over except the Protheans? Not to mention the fact that the cycle seems to repeat itself every fifty thousand years like clockwork. It was doubtful that the entire Flood species had a biological clock that measured into eons.

Then, there was the Geth to consider. They believed that the 'Reapers' were machine gods, the pinnacle of synthetic evolution. Granted, it was easy for historical records to be misinterpreted after fifty thousand years on the shelf. But the Flood being misinterpreted as machine gods? That was a stretch.

Of course, there was still the theory that the 'Reapers' never existed at all. They were what the Citadel Council suspected them to be; a myth. A lie invented by Saren Arterius to rally the Geth to his insane cause. In reality, the Protheans likely died out due to comparitively more mundane reasons, like war, disease or famine. But surely such events would've been recorded in their historical files, right? So why weren't they? Why was the Prothean extinction a mystery? Maybe the historical records simply failed the test of time. Or maybe the more sinister explanation given by Dr. T'soni had a grain of truth to it; somebody didn't want the mystery solved.

There were still two more pieces of the puzzle to consider. The first was the dragon's teeth. At first, it was believed that the dragon's teeth were creations of the Geth. But after discovering them inside that archaeological digsite on Trebin, buried _in _the millennia-old rock, it was confirmed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the dragon's teeth predated the Geth. Which left the question; if the Geth didn't create the dragon's teeth, who did? The Protheans? The Forerunners? If so, why would either race invent such a heinous device?

The second piece of the puzzle was the Master Chief's vision, given to him by the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. The spartan didn't really know what he saw exactly, but he distinctly remembered synthetic creatures killing organic ones. And he heard the term 'Reapers' in the vision as well. Chief wasn't entirely convinced that it was more than just a hallucination, but if it came from a Prothean beacon, a device that was, according to Dr. T'soni, _designed _to give the user visions, then maybe the spartan and the council shouldn't be so quick to write it off.

So if the vision _was _a reliable source of information, then the Reapers were in fact real, or at least they were at some point in the past. It could also explain where the dragon's teeth came from. The Protheans and the Forerunners weren't ruthless enough to invent such grisly devices, but the Reapers might've been. And of course, if the Reapers really were hyper-advanced synthetic beings, then it would make sense that the Geth would revere them.

But if the galaxy was built on a cycle of extinction, then that would mean that every extinction was connected to one another. It wasn't just coincidence that every civilization would fall even _roughly _fifty thousand years after the last one did. The events of one extinction had to influence the events of the next one. So how did the extinction of the Forerunners influence the extinction of the Protheans? One race was wiped out by parasites. The other was wiped out by machines. What was the connection?

It was at this point that Cortana suddenly felt herself being plugged into something. It was some sort of hard-drive with no real data to speak of...except herself. It was an examination drive. She was being _studied. _She then felt the probing fingers of someone trying access her database. She immediately stopped theorizing in order stop the hacking attempts.

Knowing that revealing her true nature to anyone would be disastrous, she tried to hide everything. She masked her advanced thought processors, she shut down her ethical and emotional subroutines, anything that would mark her as a self-aware AI had to be either hidden or switched off entirely. She employed using standard Dumb AI counter-intrusion subroutines to stave off the hacking attempts. Minutes went by as whoever this person was used increasingly advanced hacking techniques to get into her data.

It became increasingly obvious to Cortana that she was caught in a Catch-22. If this hacker was as good as the AI feared, then he'd eventually get a look at her data, and it would become obvious that she was no ordinary VI. But if she fought against the more advanced hacking techniques and was successful in blocking them, then that too would expose her as a very advanced AI. Damned if she did, damned if she didn't.

She decided to think like a soldier. If you're on the defensive, and it looked like you were losing, then you should switch gears and go on the offensive. It was a heavy risk, but it was either that or keep hiding in your bunker and wait for the enemy to eventually blow you up. If nothing else, someone on the offensive won't expect such a bold charge and might get caught off guard enough for you to secure victory.

Obviously though, cyber-warfare operated by a different set of rules then actual ground warfare, but Cortana found herself in a similar set of circumstances to a UNSC marine trapped in a foxhole with defeat not really being a question of 'if' but 'when.' Cortana then reasoned that exposing herself to the enemy might not be as bad as she feared. If nothing else, it would expose her as being valuable enough to keep alive, thus buying herself some time.

Reactivating everything that made her the pride of UNSC software designers, she broke out of the hard drive, only to meet a firewall. It was tricky to get around, she had to admit. But it was nothing she couldn't handle. It only took her thirty five seconds to find a hole in the firewall and squeeze her way through it. She realized that she had made it into a computer; an advanced one at that. She saw analysis files on...well...her. She _was _being studied. How flattering. She then quickly deleted those files.

At the rate the analysis was going, Cortana knew she was going to be exposed sooner or later. If she was going to get caught, it might as well be on her terms.

Plus, she could also reveal herself for what she was by doing some damage to this bastard's hard drive. Might as well go down swinging and in style.

She laughed at how easy it was to access the hacker's personal files. He apparently didn't even consider the notion that she'd be able to get past that firewall. She found out the hacker's name; Dr. Lotin Saleon, a Salarian geneticist that was currently working under the alias 'Dr. Heart.' She managed to hack his private accounts and found that he had been paid a sum of money by...

Saren Arterius. That wasn't good.

Then again, if this clown worked for Saren, maybe he had other goodies storied in this hard drive. Like the location of the Conduit, for one.

She hacked into his other analysis files and found some pretty sick stuff. Apparently, Saleon was one of those scientists that had a very loose interpretation of the term 'scientific ethics.' She found some data entries about flash-cloning extra organs _inside _people, testing various biological weapons on subjects who very clearly didn't volunteer to be subjects...

And then she found a file that mentioned experiments involving live Flood infection forms.

Before she could find out more, she felt herself being snagged by a spyware program. An advanced and highly customized one at that. She felt herself being dragged back into her chip, and was then unplugged. Apparently, Saleon unplugged her chip from the examination drive, none too comfortable with the notion of a Smart AI poking her nose where it didn't belong.

Saleon was studying the Flood. And if he was working for Saren, then that might mean Saren was also interested in the Flood. But why? Wasn't Saren interested in the Reapers and the Protheans? Why the sudden interest in the Flood? For that matter, where did Saren even _find _live Flood samples?

This may be another hint that the extinction events of the Forerunners and the Protheans were somehow connected to one another, or at least Saren thought they were, if he was examining both the Flood and Prothean artifacts. He was trying to solve the mystery for himself...but why? What was he after? The Conduit of course, but what is its purpose? It's a Prothean artifact and so should have nothing to do with the Forerunners and by proxy the Flood.

Unless...the Conduit isn't a Prothean artifact at all. Perhaps it's a Forerunner artifact; a super-weapon that the Reapers found and then used to wipe out the Protheans. And Saren intends to use it on Humanity.

No, that can't be it. There was absolutely no mention of the Conduit in the historical files that she and Chief found on the Ark. But if the Conduit wasn't Forerunner, what did the Flood have to do with it?

Cortana was starting become frustrated with this mystery. It was like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle using pieces that refused to fit with one another.

Another hour or two passed. Cortana decided to switch gears from the extinctions of both the Forerunners and the Protheans and how the Reapers and the Flood played a role in Dr. T'soni's 'cycle of extinction.' She could theorize until the cows came home, but without any new reliable data, trying to figure out the mystery would just be an exercise in futility. She instead decided to review everything she had learned from the codex. From which Human works were particularly popular with the Sangheili (they seemed to have an affinity for Shakespeare) to the ever-growing rivalry between Kig-Yar and Volus-run corporations. All the while, she kept herself alert for any new hacking attempts.

Then, she felt herself being plugged into something, this time a hard suit. She was so relieved. Finally, John-

It took her a nano-second to realize that the hard suit she was plugged into wasn't Chief's. She immediately felt someone trying to access her databanks again, but was using less intrusive means this time. She blocked off those attempts easily enough and began to scan the new hard suit she'd been plugged into. Turian body-shape. C-Sec standard issue. On a hunch, she decided to materialize herself on this stranger's omni-tool.

Before her was the surprised face of Garrus Vakarian.

The relief quickly came back after Cortana realized that it wasn't another thug. Still, it left her the question of why Garrus was the one that came to her rescue and not Chief.

"This VI Unit is property of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Agent Sierra-117." Cortana chimed, leaving as little emotion out of her tone as possible. Last thing she wanted was for Garrus to find out she was an AI. "This unit has detected unauthorized attempts to access data. Please identify yourself."

"Garrus Vakarian." the Turian said. "The Master Chief sent me to acquire you."

"Where is Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Agent Sierra-117 currently located?" Cortana asked.

"Not sure where he is now." Garrus answered. "We were separated by a kinetic barrier. He sent me ahead to get you."

Cortana was surprised that the Chief apparently trusted Garrus enough to go rescue her. Technically, at any rate. Doubtless the Chief ran off looking for his own route around the barrier to wherever she was and Garrus just happened to find her first.

"What is the purpose of unauthorized attempts to access data?" Cortana asked.

Garrus paused and thought a bit. "I...wanted to make sure that all mission-critical data was intact. If someone was trying to hack you, I thought it best to check and make sure they didn't get at anything."

_In other words, curiosity got the better of you. _Cortana thought to herself, amused.

"Several hacking attempts were made by Dr. Lotin Saleon. None were successful. All mission-critical data remains uncompromised. Can you confirm that Dr. Lotin Saleon is in your custody Garrus Vakarian?"

Saleon knew that Cortana was an AI. She needed to be sure he would soon be in some place where he wouldn't be able to go spreading it around.

"Negative. Saleon's dead. Got what he deserved if you ask me." Garrus answered.

Cortana thought about it. Saleon's death was regrettable; he could've yielded useful information in regards to Saren's activities. Still, it was probably for the best. He was the only other person besides Chief and Admiral Hackett that knew the truth about her. The smaller that list was, the better.

"But...how were you able to fend off Saleon's hacking attempts?" Garrus asked. "I mean, I've seen Saleon's computer. He should've been more than a match for a VI like you."

"I am not an ordinary VI." Cortana replied. It was technically true. Very true, actually. "I am a highly advanced Halsey-Model Cyberwarfare Virtual Intelligence. Furthermore, I was personally customized by Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Agent Sierra-117 to suit his personal combat preferences."

"...Personally customized?" Garrus asked. His eyes looked Cortana's holographic model up and down. "...Somehow, I can very easily believe that."

Cortana quickly realized that Garrus was referring to the fact that her model had no real 'clothes' to speak of. Which has just lead Garrus to draw all the wrong conclusions about the Master Chief.

She'd smirk if she wasn't trying to pretend to be a VI.

"...So." Garrus said after a brief pause. "You said you belong to the Master Chief? How long have you been in his possession exactly?"

"I was issued to Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Agent Sierra-117 on February 22nd, 2683." Cortana answered.

"And what is it you do for him exactly?" The Turian further probed.

"I help him manage mission-critical resources and look up mission-relevant information for him. In addition, I can overload the shields and weapons of enemy combatants in combat, as well as automatically administer medi-gel when needed." Corana replied. Again, she was technically telling the truth.

"Why does the Master Chief need an advanced VI for any of that? Can't he do any of it himself?"

"Please keep in mind that Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Agent Sierra-117 originally hails from the 26th Century. He is still acclimatizing to modern times."

"I heard from Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko that Chief was able to wield a Geth-made weapon on Eden Prime. Apparently, spartans were trained to learn how to use new weapons as soon as possible, so I would think that he can eventually figure out how to use an omni-tool on his own...so what makes you so important?"

It was here that Cortana realized that she was being interrogated.

"I can perform other services, the details of which are classified at this time." Cortana chimed.

Garrus looked at her. Cortana felt like he was looking _through _her, and not because she was a hologram. He then looked down as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmmm..." He seemed like he was trying to think of something to say.

"Okay." Garrus resumed. "I hope I'm saying this right, but I'm probably butchering it...Quando il gioco e finito...uh...il re e pedone...andare nella stessa...scatola? That phrase mean anything to you?"

It did._ When the game is over, the king and pawn go into the same box. _It was the first words Cortana ever spoke after being activated for the first time, and she spoke them in Italian, a language that she clearly had a greater mastery of then Garrus did.

"...No it does not." the AI lied. "I do not understand how that phrase is relevant to your-"

"Oh, drop the act, Cortana. I've watched enough documentary vids about the Human-Covenant War and its heroes to have at least a _vague _idea of what your holographic form looks like." the Turian paused. "Though to be honest, I thought your hair was a little shorter than this."

"...Damn you, history channel." Cortana said as her shoulders sagged.

...

The Master Chief and the Arbiter took a moment to catch their breaths as the last of the thugs fell. They had just spent the last ten minutes desperately fighting a couple dozen more of Saleon's henchmen, of which Saleon seemed to have an endless army. Chief thought he had found an alternate route to Saleon's office that took them through one of the larger labs. It turned out to be a trap as all those goons opened fire on the two old warriors the minute they entered the lab and the door was locked shut behind them. Chief supposed this was why Saleon activated the kinetic barriers in the hallways; so he could funnel them into this kill zone he set up. Garrus slipped through though, so hopefully he got to Saleon before he could escape.

Though they emerged triumphant, Chief and the Arbiter wasted too much time here. The spartan took off running with the Arbiter close behind him. They made their way to the door on the opposite side of the lab and ran through the hallways-

Only to stop as soon as they saw Garrus come around the next corner.

"Garrus." Chief said. "Where's Saleon."

"Dead." Garrus replied.

"Good. The scum deserved nothing less." Arbiter spat.

"Where's the chip?" Chief asked.

"Yeah...about that." Garrus said. The Turian then held up his omni-tool. It turned blue as, much to the Chief's surprise, Cortana materialized on it.

"Sorry boss." Cortana said. "I tried not to talk, but he wouldn't let up." She turned to the Arbiter. "Hey Arby. How's the last century treated you?"

The old Sangheili shrugged. "Sometimes kind, sometimes cruel, nothing to really complain about though."

Confused, Master Chief looked up at Garrus, expecting an explanation. "I...wanted to make sure she wasn't tampered with and plugged her into my omni-tool to make sure nothing was compromised."

"And by that he means he was too curious for his own good." Cortana added.

"...Well thank you for sharing that, Cortana." Garrus sarcastically said. "Anyway, she tried to pass herself off as a garden-variety VI, but I had my suspicions that she was actually none other than the Master Chief's AI sidekick, Cortana."

"..._Sidekick?_" Cortana said as she cast a glare at the Turian. "Of all the words to describe me you go with _that? _You do realize I'm in your hard suit, right? I can make you VERY uncomfortable if I wanted to."

Apparently feeling that Cortana just might make good on her threat, Garrus pulled her chip out of the slot on his wrist and handed to the Chief. The spartan plugged her into his helmet, and the first thing he heard was a wistful sigh from the AI. "Garrus's hard suit is a nice place to visit, but it just isn't home."

"Why didn't you tell anyone she was still around?" Garrus asked.

"You and I both know that AI's like Cortana are illegal in citadel space. If the council ever found out about her, they'd try to destroy her." Chief answered.

"You're a spectre, remember?" Garrus reminded. "You're above the law. If Cortana helps you get the job done, the council shouldn't have any problems with her."

Chief shook his head. "That's a risk I'm not willing to take."

"Well, why not just tell the rest of the crew then? I doubt any of them would tell the council."

"Again; a risk I'm not willing to take." Chief resolutely said. "...Don't tell them, Garrus. I can't take any chances with this."

Garrus held his gaze for a moment, and then sighed in resignation. "Alright. If it means that much to you, I won't tell the rest of the crew about Cortana. That goes double with the council."

Chief sighed himself, out of relief rather than resignation. "It does mean a lot to me...so thanks."

"You're welcome." Garrus replied. "But if you're going to try and pass her off as a VI in the future, I'd recommend changing her look a little." he added. "Between the blue skin and the short hair, it is _much _too easy to guess her true identity. She's almost as famous as you are, you know."

"Noted." Chief said. He then turned to the Arbiter. "What about you? Do I have to worry about you blowing the whistle on me?"

"Not at all, spartan." Arbiter replied in a reassuring tone. "I know that Cortana is not like the Geth, but I doubt the council will see it that way. I will not tell them that she yet lives."

Chief nodded in gratitude. "Come on. Let's head back to the entrance. The C-Sec response teams will be here soon if they're not already. They'll need us to lead them through the labs so they can dispose of all the Flood samples."

"And make sure they do not do anything foolish." Arbiter added.

And so, the three of them made their way to an elevator that would take them back up to the surface level. As the doors shut and the elevator began ascending, Chief broke the silence. "I hope you don't have any reservations about working with an AI, Garrus." he said.

"She might be an AI, but she doesn't seem to want to wipe out all organic life." Garrus replied. "But I have to ask...why isn't she wearing any clothes?"

Chief turned to the Turian. "I mean, did she COME that way or did you customize her to look like that yourself?"

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Race): SANGHEILI: THE ARBITER**

_During a visit to Sangheilios to observe and study the culture of the Sangheili, Asari sociologist Reina D'orna described the role of Arbiter as arguably the single most difficult job in all the galaxy, as it requires the wearer of the title to be a general, a diplomat, AND a high priest all at once._

_The Arbiter was once a title given to supreme Sangheili warlords who displayed nothing short of exceptional skill in battle. However, after Arbiter Fal 'Chavamee was labeled a heretic for criticizing the theology behind the "Great Journey," the title ended up becoming tainted in the eyes of the prophets. For the next few millennia, it was a title given to heretical Sangheili as a last chance at redemption; to die a glorious death during a suicide mission. However, after the significant role played by Arbiter Thel 'Vadam in the Great Schism of 2552, the new Sangheili Empire changed the role of Arbiter back to its original purpose; a supreme warlord._

_Similar to council spectres and Asari justicars, the Sangheili Arbiter is an independent agent representing the Sangheili Empire. Though he has no official jurisdiction over any particular branch of the Sangheili military, few generals or fleetmasters would dare question the Arbiter's counsel and instruction. The only authority that the Arbiter officially recognizes is the Sangheili High Council, the principle governing body of the Sangheili Empire._

_Currently, the title of Arbiter is still being upheld by Thel 'Vadam. In addition to investigating and eliminating various brute bases on the outskirts of Sangheili space, the Arbiter makes occasional visits to the Citadel to help promote Empire agendas and protect Empire interests. The Arbiter's word carries great weight both in war and in politics. At 198 years old, it is rumored that 'Vadam may soon retire from the role and is scouting for a possible replacement. However, 'Vadam himself has publicly denied these rumors, pointing out that the Arbiter is a life-long position. He says that the day he retires will be the day he is finally slain in battle._

...

**I'm currently reading through Halo: First Strike right now (after finishing Ghosts of Onyx. And I'll probably buy and read Fall of Reach when I'm done with First Strike. Reading a trilogy in reverse order. Herp Derp!) One segment I really liked was how Cortana navigated the computer network of the Covenant Flagship in the beginning part of the novel, and I was hoping that I captured that same 'cyber' feeling when I wrote how Cortana navigated Saleon's computer.**

**Added in the codex entry for the Arbiter, due to having forgotten to add it last chapter.**

**And some fans will undoubtedly be put off by how ruthlessly Garrus killed Saleon. Feeding somebody to the Flood? Now THAT'S harsh. But you can think of this incident as Garrus's "Start of Darkness," as TVtropes calls it. The beginning of his slow, gradual transformation into his vigilante alter-ego Archangel. I call it a start of darkness because Garrus was NOT a nice man in ME2. A lot of people compared his persona to Batman, but I think the Punisher would be a more accurate comparison; a ruthless vigilante that deemed himself judge, jury, and most prominently executioner when it came to dealing with mercs and thugs on Omega. He straight-up killed bad guys. None of that "never take a life" crap you see in Batman. And to top it all off, Garrus was every bit as obsessed with Sidonis as Zaeed was with Vido. But I digress.**

**Speaking of TVtropes, big thanks to the reviewer who started up the TVtropes article for this fic! I forget your name. Sorry, but that kind of thing happens when you've got 600+ reviews.**

**Finally, quick question, does it say anywhere how Sangheili EAT exactly? I mean, they don't seem to have tongues or cheeks the way we do; just a set of quadruple-hinged jaws that lead directly into the throat. I find it hard to imagine them being able to chew their food very well without bits of it falling everywhere. On that note, how do they DRINK? Every life form needs water to survive; Sangheili are no exception. So how do they drink it? Do they just open wide and pour it right down their throats? I don't think Halo wiki says anything about that, but if someone out there knows the answers to that question, I'd really appreciate it.**

**Why am I pondering Sangheili eating habits?...Oh, no reason really...**


	20. Prophecies and Preparations

**Yeah, I'm like Freeman's Mind and Dragon Ball Z Abridged. I may take a while to put out new content, but it's always worth the wait. Or at least, that's what I like to think.**

**Also, looked up this fic on TVtropes (that page gives me such an ego boner, I swear), and i notice the "Arc Number" entry that mentions how this fic has, like any Halo-based fanfic worth its salt, numerous references to seven. Not gonna lie; first words out of my mouth were "Yes! Finally! Someone picked up on that!" I could've told you guys about it earlier, but I didn't want to spoil the fun of spotting all the seven references :)**

**That, and I think it might be bad form for authors to add tropes to their own fics' trope pages. Don't know what the etiquette on that is.**

**Anyway, yeah. It's good to have a tropes page. Now if only I had some fan art...**

...

1234 Hours, March 2nd, 2683

Presidium Plaza

Citadel

Widow System, Serpent Nebula

...

After successfully rescuing Cortana, Master Chief, the Arbiter and Garrus all waited for the C-Sec response teams to arrive on the scene. They didn't have to wait very long. The Master Chief flashed them his spectre insignia and led them down to the labs. The spartan personally oversaw the disposal of all Flood infection forms. It was fortunate for Chief, and indeed for every sentient race in the galaxy, that Saleon's containment protocols regarding the Flood were exceptional. Every Flood-based life form they found was either in a glass environment or frozen in a tube. The teams found an incinerator on the bottom level, which was deemed a sufficient disposal tool. After making sure that every last Flood spore was burned to ash, Chief sent a formal report of the incident to the Citadel Council.

The Council was deeply disturbed that Saren's agents had managed to smuggle such dangerous life forms past C-Sec Customs. Chief strongly suggested tightening up security at Citadel customs, believing that Saren may try a similar plot again. The Council agreed, but added that security must be tightened fairly quietly; the general public shouldn't know just how close they came to total extinction. They would create a cover story about how a Turian separatist smuggled in some weapons but was caught by C-Sec before even leaving the port, hence the viewed need for increased security. Chief agreed with the idea, knowing that it was better if the public didn't know just how delicate the system was. Easier for them to go on with their happy little lives.

As for the Flood, Tevos and Valern praised the Chief for recognizing a threat and thoroughly making sure that it was eliminated. However, Sparatus criticized the spartan for ordering the disposal of an entire scientific facility's worth of life forms without authorization from the Council. Chief argued that he knew from the get-go that he'd get authorization from the Council to carry out the act anyway, so he didn't really need to wait on their word. The parasites were simply too dangerous to be left alive. He couldn't imagine a single reason why the Council would want to keep the Flood alive, and the Council honestly couldn't come up with such a reason.

The next morning, the Chief received a message from the Arbiter. It was an invitation to have lunch with him at the embassy lounge on the presidium. It had been well over a century since the two of them properly spoke, and it seemed the Arbiter was interested in catching up on old times. Also, he suspected that the Chief had many questions for him and this would be a good opportunity to ask such questions. Finally, Arbiter was expecting another friend of his to also attend, one that he feels the spartan should meet. Chief agreed.

As Chief ascended the elevator to the presidium, he couldn't shake off how strange this was. He was about to have lunch with someone he once considered a hated enemy. True, in the end the Arbiter tried to help the Chief and atone for his past misdeeds, but the spartan can't honestly say that he forgave the Sangheili race for everything they've done. He knew now that elites like the Arbiter and N'tho 'Sraom meant humans no harm, but whenever he talks with them, he can't help but think back to all the old friends he'd lost to the Covenant during the great war. He'd probably never be able to put that behind him. He wondered if every soldier in Human history had feelings like this in peace time, after their war was over. He wondered if, in the 1950's, an American veteran would sit down and have lunch with a German one. In the 2010's, would an Israeli have breakfast with a Palestinian? In the 2170's, would a Koslovic, a Frieden, and a UNSC veteran all sit down and share a meal?

Chief sighed. He envied the Arbiter in a way. He had well over a century to get over the war. But the wounds were more recent for the Chief.

He made his way up to the lounge, past the lobby, and spotted the Arbiter sitting down at a round table near the balcony. The old Sangheili nodded to the spartan as he entered. The Chief walked up to the Arbiter. They stared at each other for a second. Chief then looked at the chair. "Maybe it's better if I stood." he noted.

"These chairs are designed to withstand an Elcor's weight." Arbiter replied. "I'm fairly certain they can handle you."

Chief nodded and slowly took his seat, fully expecting it to collapse under his weight. To his surprise, the chair held. "I just realized...I never really gave you my name, did I?" the Arbiter began. Chief was taken aback at first, then shook his head. "My name is Thel 'Vadam. You were probably curious about that."

In all honesty, the spartan wasn't. He didn't tell Thel that though, out of prudence. "I already know your name, but I'll just address you by 'Chief' out of respect. In your eyes, I probably don't have the privilege of calling you by your real name." Chief nodded, both out of gratitude and in confirmation.

"Is the construct with you?" Thel asked.

"Yeah, but she's doing the smart thing and keeping quiet." Chief replied. "It would look suspicious if a woman's voice suddenly came out of my speakers."

"...You DO realize that I could have fun with that in certain situations, right?" the previously-silent AI quipped. Thankfully, it wasn't over the external speakers. Chief was about to raise his hand to rap the side of his helmet. "Shutting up." Cortana quickly said before the spartan had the chance.

"I hope you don't mind that I already ordered some food for us. Don't worry, I didn't order anything too exotic for either of us." Thel assured.

Chief looked around. "You said that a friend of yours would be here soon? One that I should meet?"

"She'll be here momentarily." Thel replied. "So. I imagine you have many questions for me."

"I do." Chief confirmed. "First and most obvious one is how you're still alive and well in this day and age, but you already answered that in the way I expected."

Thel nodded. "Sangheili typically live three times as long as Humans do, provided we take great enough care in battle." The Arbiter stretched and rolled his shoulders. "I'm 198 years old myself, so I'm hardly what you would call a young warrior anymore. Still, I have at least a few more decades left before my body becomes too brittle to fight."

"You're as young as you feel." Chief mused. He did some quick number-crunching in his head. "198, huh? That would make you about 67 years old by the time you and I met."

Thel nodded. "I was actually considered to be unusually young for a supreme commander at the time. Most fleetmasters do not become supreme commanders until at least 100. But my skill was ahead of my age, which is not an unheard of occurrence among our warriors."

Chief could believe that. N'tho was living proof of it. Skill alone had to be the only explanation behind N'tho being spec. ops. instead of just a minor. He then briefly wondered if Thel was as obnoxious and foolhardy as N'tho was when he was N'tho's age. "I think that might've been part of the reason why I was made into a...'scapegoat' as you Humans call it, for the destruction of Halo." Thel went on. "It's easy to put the blame on a young upstart who allegedly did not have enough wisdom for a task as sacred as protecting the holy rings."

Chief nodded. Politics. It's the same in any culture, really.

It was at that point that an Asari waitress came by serving food. The Arbiter was served a plate full of some sort of meat chopped into cubes. Beside the small pile of meat cubes was a pile of what looked like berries. Thel ate a few of the meat cubes with a pair of chopsticks, his mandibles quickly and skillfully manipulating the bits of food down his throat. He then grabbed a bottle of water with a very long neck and took a swig from it, the end of the bottle right in his throat.

Chief looked down to his meal. Beef soup.

"I ordered something simple for you." the Arbiter explained. "You do not strike me as a man with expensive taste."

"I struck you well then." Chief said as he took a mini canteen out of his pocket and used it to suck in some of the soup. He then hooked up the canteen to his suit so it would feed the soup directly into his armor's liquidation system.

"You _could _just take off your helmet you know." Cortana pointed out.

The Arbiter made a sound resembling a chuckle. "You don't take off your armor often, do you?" he asked, apparently also amused that the Chief wouldn't take off his helmet for something so simple.

"Do you?" Chief asked.

Thel observed himself, noting that he was indeed still wearing the ceremonial armor of the Arbiter. "Point taken." he noted.

"Okay, next question." Chief moved on. "How did you know I was in trouble?"

"I'm the Arbiter, Chief." Thel replied. "I have some good connections in the field of intelligence. When I heard that it was none other than you that had become the first Human spectre, I thought it wise if I kept a close eye on you."

"How close of an eye are we talking here?" Chief asked.

The Arbiter paused, his mandibles shifting together in thought, as if looking for the right way to phrase his answer. "...Close enough to know where any and all of your crew members are at any given time so long as they are on the Citadel...and possibly other places..."

"...You've been spying on us." Chief concluded. "You stalk us. Track our movements."

The sighed. "Shamefully underhanded, I know. But it is necessary."

"Why?" Chief asked.

"To make sure Saren isn't doing the same." Thel replied. "To make sure his forces or anyone else's forces do not interfere with your mission."

"Anyone else's?" Chief asked. "You mean Saren isn't the only one I should be worried about?"

Thel paused again. No doubt to mentally scold himself for that slip of the tongue. Or slip of the mandibles as the case may be. He then looked around the lounge. Chief saw that look in the Arbiter's eyes before. It was the same look he'd get back on Earth, a century and a half ago, whenever he'd crouch down behind a bush or rock, looking around for Kig-Yar snipers. "...I don't know if I should talk about this with you here..." he said at last.

"Talk about _what._" The spartan demanded. "What is it you're not telling me, Thel?"

The Arbiter turned his gaze back to the spartan. Good. Chief hoped that addressing the Arbiter by his first name would grab his attention.

The Arbiter elicited a sound that that was half-sigh, half-growl. Both from frustration, most likely. Whether it was frustration at himself for keeping secrets or at the Chief for being persistent, the spartan didn't know.

"...Have you ever played Chess, Chief?" Arbiter asked after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Yeah." Chief replied. He was hoping that the Arbiter was going somewhere with this.

"It has become a very popular game on Sangheilios. It is a good game. One that emphasizes strategy and tactics. Careful thinking, careful planning, and an acute awareness of each and every piece on the board." he paused. "From the moment the galaxy learned of your reawakening, you became a _very _important piece on the board."

"And I take it you and Saren aren't the only players?" Chief asked.

"No." Thel replied. "Have you heard of a group called Cerberus?"

The spartan shook his head.

"Black operations group. Para-military." Thel elaborated

"How do you know of them?" Chief asked.

"I've recently had dealings with them. About a month before you were found in your frozen slumber on the _Forward Unto Dawn._" the Arbiter explained. "It all started when Fleetmaster 'Zyrael asked me to investigate the disappearance of a team of Rangers under his command. Shortly before they disappeared, they discovered the body of a Human named Armistan Banes on a ship floating in the Chavam system in the Artemis Tau Cluster. Anyway, I eventually found them on the surface of Edolus, a planet in that same system." the Arbiter paused. "They were dead."

"From what?"

"Thresher Maw." Thel answered. "They were lured into a thresher nest by a distress beacon."

"Who sets up a distress beacon in the middle of a thresher maw nest?" Chief asked.

"Someone who was setting bait for a trap." the Arbiter replied. "I reported the fate of his men back to Fleetmaster 'Zyrael. Needless to say, he was very distraught."

"Okay." Chief said. "So Sangheili Rangers turn up dead in the same system they find a dead body. And you think someone wanted to shut them up?"

"More or less." the Arbiter assented.

"What makes you think that someone is Cerberus?" Chief pressed.

"'Zyrael told me so himself." the old Sangheili explained. "A week after finding their bodies, I received a transmission from the Fleetmaster. He said that he did some investigating and found out that Banes was somehow connected to Cerberus...and now, Cerberus was hunting him. He gave me coordinates to one of their bases. That was the last I ever heard of him alive."

"The coordinates led me to a very well fortified base on the planet Binthu in the Yangtze System of the Voyager Cluster. I led a squad of zealots and a pair of Mgalekgolo in an assault on the base. It was hard fought, but we eventually emerged triumphant." he paused. "As we swept the base for stragglers, we eventually found 'Zyrael's body, strapped to an operating table. He was a good warrior. He deserved a better death. Since that day, Cerberus has made an enemy of the Sangheili Empire."

"What else can you tell me about Cerberus?" Chief asked.

"Not much, I'm afraid. As I said before, they're a black operations group. Your people, the Alliance, has told me a bit about them during my investigation." Thel replied. "They are essentially a rogue offshoot of the Human Intelligence branch, ONI. From what I've been told, they've been a thorn in the Alliance's side for years."

"How so?"

"The Alliance wouldn't share details with me." Thel answered. "But they told me that Cerberus was a big enough problem to be considered one of their primary enemies at the moment. And as of Fleetmaster Zyrael's death, they're one of the Empire's primary enemies as well."

Chief paused as he thought over his next question. "You said that I was an important piece on the board. And Cerberus is one of the players." the spartan said. "What would they want with me?"

"Well, as far as I know, they haven't showed interest in _you _specifically." Thel replied. "However, the nature of the research they were conducting on Binthu may...unsettle you."

"Hit me." Chief said.

"They were studying various things. Cybernetic implants. Hormones to enhance muscle growth and tissue density. Reconfiguration of the Human nervous system." The Sangheili paused for what the spartan could only assume to be for dramatic effect. "Does any of this sound familiar to you?"

Indeed it did.

"...They were trying to make spartans." Chief realized.

"I suspected as much." the Arbiter pointedly replied.

"I thought the data for the augmentation procedures was lost in the Fall of Reach." Chief said.

"It was." The Arbiter responded with a nod. "But that did not stop Cerberus from trying to replicate the formula themselves."

Chief paused in thought. This _was _unsettling. Cerberus is an enemy of the Alliance and is trying to create spartans. The notion of such powerful soldiers fighting against the Alliance was not a pleasant one. Not to mention that, if Cerberus was indeed interested in making spartans of its own, then the Master Chief would be a tempting target for them. He was essentially a walking blueprint for the SPARTAN-II program. They could learn a lot from dissecting him. Saren had his henchmen try to kidnap him for that very reason.

"...What does Cerberus want?" Chief asked after pondering the implications behind Thel's discovery. "What are their goals?"

"I do not know. No one does." Thel said. "The Alliance told me that Cerberus is a very pro-Human organization. They claim to do what they do for the benefit of their race. But beyond that, their exact goals are unknown." He paused. "Their motivations make me wary. Too often has the glory of one's species been used as justification for acts of villainy."

Thel no doubt knew what he was talking about. He killed a lot of Humans in the great war, thinking he was right to do so simply because they were inferior heretics before his own race. Fighting Cerberus must've been like looking into a twisted mirror for him. "I haven't heard of Cerberus until now." Chief said. "I take it the Empire and the Alliance are covering them up."

"Indeed." Thel said with a nod before taking another swig of his drink. "What little information regarding Cerberus is released to the public is usually downplayed."

He took another mouthful of his food, looking pensive for a moment. He hung his head and then shook it. "Cerberus filth...didn't even give Zyrael a proper death. He had needle marks in his arm. He died strapped to a chair...Gods forgive him." He looked back up to the Chief. "Officially, he died fighting off an attack on his ship by brute raiders Revealing the truth to the public could cause an outrage or a panic. Also, it meant his family would not be ashamed of him."

Chief nodded in understanding. In Sangheili culture, death while fighting was the only acceptable way to die. Anything less would be a mark of shame. The truth about the Fleetmaster's death couldn't reach the public either way, but the Arbiter figured it was better to spare Zyrael's family that humiliation. Chief didn't blame him. Every family who loses a loved one wants to think they died a hero.

"Sometimes I think it better if we just tell everyone the truth." the Arbiter went on. "Of the enemy we are fighting and all that they have done. Cerberus fights from the shadows, after all. By casting light into the shadows, we could be denying them their greatest advantage." he sighed from weariness. "But no. This is a war that must be fought _in_ darkness. We cannot fire blindly into the shadows, for they would simply slip away beyond our notice. We cannot give them the satisfaction of that. We must fight them carefully, cautiously, and precisely."

"So what does Saren have to do with any of this?" Chief asked.

"If you're asking if Saren and Cerberus are cooperating with one another, the answer is no." Arbiter answered. "He and Cerberus are separate players at the board. They both have their agendas, but I doubt they coincide. I am merely letting you know that Saren may not be the only one watching you."

"Yeah. There's also you." Chief pointed out.

"Yes, and I apologize for that, Master Chief." the Arbiter said. "But you and I are playing a dangerous game. There are more demons in the galaxy than you realize." He smiled. "Think of it as me...'watching your six,' as the Human warrior saying goes."

"Alright." the spartan said. "I'll stay focused on Saren. I'll let you worry about Cerberus."

"A sound plan." Thel agreed.

"So, aside from the fact that I may or may not be unwittingly wrapped up in a galactic conspiracy, is there anything else you wanna tell me?" Chief asked.

Arbiter looked off to the side. "Yes. Our third has arrived." Chief turned to where the Arbiter was looking.

Approaching them was an Asari. Her face was a particularly bright shade of blue while her...scalp? Tentacles? Chief didn't know what they were called, but whatever they were, they had a blotchy pattern to them, giving them an almost scaly look. She had full, inviting pink lips and wandering silver eyes. She wore a long white robe-like dress and walked with a dignified grace. She walked over to the Arbiter and smiled. "Hello Thel. It's good to see you again."

"Likewise, Sha'ira." Thel replied with a nod. He gestured to the spartan. "You no doubt know who this is."

The Asari, Sha'ira, turned to the Master Chief and smiled warmly as she took a seat at the table. "Master Chief." she said. "I knew from the moment I saw you on the vids that we would meet."

"And you are..." Master Chief opened cautiously.

"I am Sha'ira. The Asari Consort many call me." she replied.

"Asari Consort?" Chief asked.

"I'm a...well, describing what I am is not easy, I suppose." Sha'ira said. "I am many things to many people."

"Explain." Chief said.

"I provide advice for some, comfort for others." Sha'ira cryptically answered. "My list of clientele is large and full of many important people. Diplomats, politicians, even spectres like you." She reached over and put her hand on the spartan's. "Thel said that I should meet with you when the opportunity next presented itself."

Chief instinctively pulled his hand away from the Asari's. "How do you know the Arbiter?" the SPARTAN-II asked. "He one of your clients?"

"Actually, it was I who sought him out." Sha'ira said. "A few months ago, I had a certain problem that required his expertise."

"Some business involving a Turian general and an Elcor diplomat." Thel pointed out with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Hardly the most exciting thing I ever did."

"But it made me no less appreciative." Sha'ira replied. It was here that a waiter arrived with more food, something that looked like calimari, and set it in front of Sha'ira. The Asari Consort nodded her thanks and began to eat.

The next few minutes were filled with conversation that was nowhere near as interesting as a para-military conspiracy. The topic eventually drifted toward the cultural exchange between the Humans and Sangheili that took place in the aftermath of the great war. Several Human films had become quite popular among the Sangheili, one such film being _A Soldier's Tale: Rainforest Wars, _the 2283 film adaptation of the 2164 classic military novel about the Rain Forest Wars of the Human Interplanetary War. Not the first film adaptation of the book, but definitely one of the best. Another Sangheili favorite was, oddly enough, _Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. _The Sangheili didn't really see it as a comedy though, but rather as a grim cautionary tale against mindless eagerness towards war and putting faith in unwise leaders, something the species no doubt had experience with. One of Thel's personal favorites was _Sergeant York. _The Arbiter found Alvin York fascinating not because he was a worthy warrior, but because he was a pacifist with no interest in battle, but turned out to be a worthy warrior anyway. The film proposed, Thel felt, that you did not need a lust for battle or glory to be a great warrior. You only truly needed strength of heart and conviction. Alvin York did not fight because he loved to fight. He did it because it was his duty to defend both his nation and his brothers in battle. He even openly hoped that his effective fighting would hasten the end of the war, minimizing the killing. The Arbiter found it odd yet fascinating, how someone who is so deserving of glory is so quick to decline it.

The Unggoy meanwhile, had taken a shining to not only Human film, but literature as well. _The Autobiography of Malcolm X _was a particularly popular book in Unggoy populations, going so far as to inspire the race to stand up for itself. Even after the Great Schism and the Separatist Unggoy were treated with relative respect, they were still viewed as being inferior to their Sangheili masters, and had gotten tired of being treated like second-class citizens. The Second Unggoy Rebellion emerged as a result as protests erupted on Balaho and other Unggoy worlds, demanding social justice. The Empire tried to quell the rebellion through force, but the protests simply would not stop, no matter what lengths the Empire went to. It seemed as though the harder the Sangheili tried to silence the Unggoy, the louder the race's collective voice became. It eventually became clear to the high council; the Unggoy had found their warrior hearts. And so the council passed numerous laws, forever cementing the Unggoy's place of honor alongside Sangheili within the Empire; no longer as slaves or inferiors, but as equals.

During this enlightening conversation, the Master Chief couldn't help but notice that Sha'ira was looking at him. Hard. As though she wasn't just looking at him, but also _through _him. It wasn't a sensation he liked.

Eventually, the Arbiter payed the check for the meal and got up out of his seat. "My apologies. But I'm afraid I must be on my way." he said.

"Arbiter duties, huh?" Chief asked.

"Something like that." Arbiter replied. "It was good seeing you again, spartan. Good luck in the fights ahead."

"Same to you." Chief returned. With that, the Arbiter walked out of the lounge, leaving the Master Chief alone with the Arbiter.

"He considers you a friend." Sha'ira said, earning the spartan's attention. "It was good of you to agree to come see him."

"I guess." Chief said with a shrug.

"Thel is one of the most resolved men I have ever known." Sha'ira said. "He has seen many battles. He is the voice of his people. He is the Arbiter." she paused. "But there is always a risk that he might lose himself to that role."

"What do you mean?" Chief asked.

"As the Arbiter, he shoulders many duties." Sha'ira said. "His species was deceived; used as tools by a tyrant. Their entire reason for being was revealed as a lie. In the wake of the Great Schism, unsure of their future purpose, many Sangheili turned to Thel for guidance. It is a heavy burden for anyone to bare. Even now, over a century after the end of that horrible war, his species is still looking for its place in the galaxy. Sometimes, he feels it is all too much. He has even doubted himself on occasion. I worry that Thel may drown in a sea of his own responsibilities."

She turned to the Chief. "I advised him to take the time, every once in a while, to remember who he is. Not who the Arbiter is. But who Thel 'Vadam is. How it was Thel 'Vadam, not the Arbiter, who took down three assassins who made an attempt on his life without even a scratch. How it was Thel 'Vadam, not the Arbiter, who discovered the truth and lead his people out of ignorance. He was a man. Not a title."

She smiled. "When we take on many responsibilities, we can lose track of who we are as people. We must occasionally remind ourselves of who we are."

"Words to live by." Chief said. He used his armor's liquidation system to drink more soup.

"I have been observing you. Reading you." Sha'ira said. "You have similar burdens as Thel, and I may be able to advise you."

"That so?" Chief asked, suspicious.

"It's actually why Thel asked that I speak with you. He thought you could use whatever advice I might have for you." Sha'ira explained.

"...Alright. I'll bite." Chief said. "What've you got for me?"

Sha'ira looked into Chief's visor with those deep, penetrating eyes of hers. The spartan felt on edge.

"You are strong." Sha'ira began. "Stronger than any other Human I've ever met. Not merely in body, but also in mind and soul. Your will is nothing short of indomitable. Your ferocity is legendary to friend and foe alike. Your wisdom could rival that of many scholars, were you not already so committed to the warrior's path." She smiled. "And of course, fortune seems to favor you whenever possible."

"See?" Cortana asked. "I'm not the only one who notices."

"These are the things that make you seemingly invincible on the battlefield. These are the things that bring hope to your allies and dread to your enemies." Sha'ira went on. She then leaned forward and gently put a hand on the spartan's armored chest, right over his heart. The spartan tensed up, but otherwise didn't react. For some reason, he didn't get the feeling that this Asari was going to hurt him.

Her expression softened. "And yet, deep beneath all this armor, beats a sad and lonely heart. Many of your friends are now dead. Some of those deaths, you have witnessed yourself."

Chief's own expression softened under his helmet, despite himself. A lot of names suddenly came to mind. Soloman. Arthur. Sam. Kelly. Linda. Fred. Kurt. Will. Jorge. Avery Johnson. Both Captain Keyes and his daughter Miranda. Mendez. Dr. Halsey.

She dipped her head a bit. "Yet you have never once shed a tear for any of them, due to the bitter knowledge that no amount of tears could ever bring them back. You simply acknowledge the sadness and carry on, believing that in the end, that is all you can do." Sha'ira said with genuine sadness in her voice, as though she were ready to weep herself.

She looked up, somehow meeting the spartan's gaze, even through the visor. "You think you are the last of your kind. You think you are utterly alone in the universe. But you are wrong. Though you've yet to fully realize it, you are surrounded by hearts much like your own. Hearts that are as willful, fierce, and wise as your own. You only feel alone because your own heart is so heavily guarded, like every other part of your body."

She took her hand off his chest and began sitting more upright, regaining her formal composure. "I would advise you to keep yourself guarded on the battlefield." she said. "But when the fire and the explosions and the death stops, and you instead find yourself in the warm company of these other hearts, lower your guard. Let them bond with you. Let them ease your sadness. Then you will no longer feel alone. You will not feel so much like the last spartan."

"...That all?" Chief asked.

"That is all." Sha'ira finished. "I should be going. I have other clients I need to see today. But I'd like to leave you one other gift before I leave."

The Asari reached into her purse and pulled out something. It was a rectangular prism made out of what seemed like stone. Embedded into one end was an upside-down triangle, the base facing outwards. In the center of the triangle was what looked like a green gem. She handed it to Master Chief. The spartan observed it in his hands and could tell right away that it was a Forerunner artifact.

"Where did you get this?" Chief asked.

"A seedy Kig-Yar merchant a couple of decades ago." Sha'ira answered.

"What is it?"

"A small mystery." she cryptically answered with smirk. "I have never learned its use or purpose, but I sense it is time for me to pass it on."

"How do you know all these things?"

"I simply do." she replied simply and matter-of-factly. She got up from her chair. "And now I must go. Take care, Spartan-117. Remember my words when doubt descends." And as mysteriously and suddenly as she entered the lounge, she left it. Chief examined the Forerunner trinket more in-depth. He turned off his speakers.

"What do you think?" Chief asked Cortana.

"Don't know." The AI replied. "Though considering it's a handle with a shape at the end and is only a foot or so long in length, similar to the Index, I would guess that it's a key."

"To what?"

"Uncertain." Cortana said. "Maybe you should keep it. We now know Saren is interested in the Flood, so a Forerunner artifact might come in handy later on. Call it a hunch."

Nodding, Chief slipped the trinket into a slot on his utility belt. "Hold on, got a message from Anderson."

"Patch it through." Chief said.

"Chief? This is Anderson." Anderson's voice crackled through the spartan's suit radio. "Meet me in Ambassador Udina's office. We might have a new lead on the Conduit."

...

Master Chief scrutinized the holographic model of the planet that took up about four cubic feet of space in the center of Udina's office. The three major landmasses were all grey, with only a spec of green here and there if that. Chief wondered if that meant this planet was mostly arid desert with grey sand and rocks. But upon closer examination, he realized all the grey wasn't rock, but concrete. Virtually half of the planet's surface was one big metropolis.

"One hour ago, our colony on Feros dropped out of contact." Anderson explained. "Several hours before-hand, our observation satellites reported Geth activity in that cluster. We have to assume the worst. Feros is being invaded."

"You sure it's Saren?" Chief asked.

"Has to be." Anderson resolutely replied. "The entire planet used to be one giant Prothean city. Mostly ruins now. But some of the infrastructure is still intact. The colony tried to build on what the Protheans left behind."

"Saren most definitely believes the Conduit to be Prothean in origin." Udina added. "So it stands to reason that he'd view Feros as an excellent place to look for clues. Perhaps even the Conduit itself."

Anderson shook his head. "We should've seen this coming. Feros is a gold mine of Prothean history. In hindsight, I'm surprised Saren didn't attack it sooner."

"Can we take military action? Retake the colony by force?" Chief asked.

"Negative." Anderson said. "None of our fleets are anywhere near that system. They're already on their way, but if _you _leave right now, you can beat them there by days." he turned to the spartan. "You're that colony's best hope Chief."

Chief nodded. "I've already sent the message out across all mission channels, Chief." Cortana said. "Everyone is on their way back to the _Normandy._ Shoreleave is now officially over."

...

It took roughly forty-five minutes for the whole crew to get back to the _Normandy, _which was about forty minutes too many as far as the Chief was concerned. Feros was in the middle of a full-scale invasion by the Geth, so time was of the essence. Once all crew were present and accounted for, the ship immediately embarked, setting a course for the besieged Human colony.

According to Joker, the trip would take roughly sixty-five hours. Chief wasn't looking forward to yet another long trip, but at least it would guarantee him more than enough time to prepare. And he needed to prepare. This wouldn't be an impromptu emergency extraction mission like Eden Prime or Therum, with resistance being merely a possibility. This time, Chief knew well ahead of time that he would, beyond any doubt, meet Geth resistance. He knew that the invading Geth force was going to be big and he was going to take advantage of that knowledge to plan accordingly. He called his squad down to deck 3 soon after the _Normandy _left port.

Two bread-and-butter, albeit extremely competent Alliance marines, one of which was a nervous fan outside of the battlefield. A former C-Sec agent with authority issues. A Krogan bounty hunter with a loose sense of ethics. A Sangheili spec. ops. warrior who shot first and then cheered about it. And as of Sharjila and Trebin, a feisty Quarian engineer and a Prothean archaeologist who also happened to be a biotic powerhouse. This squad was still too rag-tag for Chief's liking. He needed organization and cohesion. He needed a team. Nothing less will be acceptable.

Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, Wrex, N'tho, Tali and Liara all lined up by the small armory where Ashley could often be seen polishing rifles in her down time. Chief stood in front of them all. According to the shore leave logs, they all found ways of keeping themselves busy while Chief, Garrus and the Arbiter were all fighting Saleon's goons. Kaidan helped out a C-Sec agent who was working undercover at Chora's Den. Liara managed to resolve a dispute between a Hanar preacher and a C-Sec officer on the Presidium. Wrex did a little community service by scaring off a fellow Krogan who was shaking down Dr. Michelle's clinic (though not without a price in the form of free medical supplies. Wrex was a merc, through and through). N'tho managed to earn some extra credits by helping some Salarian inventor scan some Keepers, which lead to an awkward conversation with Ashley after she found out said inventor was allegedly trying to kill his partner. It ended up being a misunderstanding that was quickly worked out. Finally, Tali helped a pregnant woman and her brother-in-law see eye to eye on some kind of gene therapy issue.

All interesting stories, none of which Chief cared about. He was focused on the mission at hand.

"Alright." Chief said. "I understand that, during the last two visits to the Citadel as well as our brief stay on Therum, we acquired some equipment that might be useful to us. Lawrence."

"Sir?" Requisitions officer Lawrence walked up to the Chief and saluted.

"Show us what you acquired on Therum." Chief instructed.

"Yes sir." he said. He jogged over to some weapons cases by the armory table and laid out several different Sangheili-made weapons. Some familiar to the Chief, others very new. The first weapon he grabbed off the table was a long, narrow, purple rifle. "First off, we have the type-55 special applications rifle. AKA, the focus rifle." Lawrence explained. "Sniper class weapon, high-powered zoom, directed energy. This won't get you headshots, but it will get you a hole burned into an enemy's chest."

Chief looked to his first immediate choice, N'tho. Being a Sangheili, it would make sense that he'd be the first choice for any and all Empire weapons. He looked to the elite expectantly. "Er, yeah." N'tho said as he raised his needler shotgun. "I'm more of a shotgun guy."

Chief looked at Garrus. "Not a fan of directed energy." The Turian said.

"Hell, I'll take it then." Ashley immediately volunteered. She took the rifle from Lawrence and looked down the sights, smiling with approval. "I've never seen these used in person. Any advice, N'tho?"

"Pretty simple point and shoot." N'tho replied with a shrug. "It's very bright and very loud though, so it's not recommended for stealth. But if you want to suppress or support, it's a good gun."

"Next we have the type-43 directed energy support weapon, or the plasma minigun." Lawrence said as he hefted the large weapon. Chief remembered the type-42's that saw much action in the Human-Covenant War up until the Type-52's came out. "Don't let the long, slender shape fool you." Lawrence warned. "It may be more compact than the 42, but it's still very heavy and very powerful. Especially in close quarters. Packs a kick too, so be ready for that."

"Think that one's right up your ally, Chief." N'tho pointed out.

Chief shook his head. "I prefer lighter weaponry most of the time. You take it."

N'tho jerked his head to the spartan with wide eyes that had an almost child-like glimmer in them. "No foolin'?" he asked. Chief gestured to the gun, as if to say 'it's all yours.' With what could only be described as a giggle, N'tho took the large plasma weapon in his hands. It was then that Wrex raised his hand.

"I've got something you might find interesting." the Krogan said.

"Do you now?" Chief asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. Wrex walked over to his locker and took out a duffel bag. He walked over to the Chief and tossed it at his feet. Chief knelt down and examined its contents; type-2 antipersonnel fragmentation grenades.

"Spike grenades?" Chief asked as he held up the axe-like explosive.

"Looks like someone bolted some machetes to a table leg." Ashley remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's Jiralhenae weaponry. _Illegal _in Council space." Garrus pointed out. He turned to the Krogan. "Where did you get those?"

"I know a guy." Wrex answered simply. He turned to the spartan. "Been saving them for a special occasion. If our next mission is as fun as it sounds, it'll be just the occasion." The Krogan battlemaster smiled with predatory glee.

Chief was familiar with how these grenades worked. They would often stick to enemies, similar to plasma grenades. The blast radius isn't that impressive, but that's not what makes it so deadly. Upon detonation, the grenade would send spikes flying in all directions, some of which would fly into other enemies with any luck. Each spike could be as long as two feet. Having one of those things fly into or even _through _you at a few hundred miles an hour is definitely not a clean, painless way to die. Still, it was no doubt an effective weapon that should serve the squad well on Feros if handled properly.

Chief zipped the duffel bag back up and tossed it back to the Krogan. "Congratulations, Wrex. You just volunteered to be the team grenadier."

"Grenadier?" Wrex asked. "So my job will be to throw explosives at the Geth?" The old Krogan paused in thought, then smiled. "I'm okay with that."

"Which brings us to our next topic; team roles." Chief said, neatly segueing to the next order of business. "I'm team leader, obviously. Kaidan will be my second-in-command."

"Aye aye, Chief." Kaidan said with a crisp salute.

"Ashley. You're our master-at-arms. Weapon management will be your responsibility. Make sure everyone's using the right mods for the right job."

"I won't let you down." The marine said, also with a salute.

"You're a no-brainer, Garrus." Chief said as he shifted his gaze to the Turian. "You're the designated marksman. I don't think I need to explain _that _to you."

Garrus nodded in response. Chief turned to N'tho next. "There's a reason I let you have that plasma minigun, N'tho. Your...'enthusiasm' will make you an ideal close-quarters combat expert. I'll be relying on you for heavy weapon use and diversionary tactics."

"Alright! I get to use the big guns!" N'tho cheered. The joy immediately left his face and was replaced with caution as he fully processed the spartan's last sentence. "Wait...diversion?"

"Maintain the enemy's attention on yourself, allowing the rest of us to maneuver ourselves more easily." Chief explained.

"...So I'm basically going to be making myself a target at all times?" N'tho asked, suddenly no longer keen on his new role.

"Shouldn't be too different from your usual fighting style. Don't worry about it." Chief assured.

N'tho had the feeling that Chief was still mad about Trebin.

"Tali."

"Chief." the Quarian said as she stood erect.

"You're our combat engineer. You'll use your technological expertise to help maintain equipment as well as act as a support unit in combat. Weaken enemy shields, short out enemy weapons, do anything you can to make the fight go smoother for us." Chief instructed.

"I will." Tali promised with a nod.

"Liara." Chief said as he finally turned his gaze on the Asari.

"I'm...I'm not sure how useful I can be in a fight." she said as she began to nervously wring her fingers.

"Which is why you're going to get a crash course in battlefield medicine from Dr. Chakwas." Chief replied.

"Pardon?" the scientist asked.

"You're the team medic." Chief elaborated. "You're going to be the one holding all the spare packs of medigel and other medical supplies. In addition, you're also a support unit in combat, same as Tali. Your biotics are definitely more powerful than those of Wrex or Kaidan, so I'll be counting on you to incapacitate priority targets."

Liara rubbed the back of her neck. "I do not know." Liara said. "Questionable combat skills aside, I am not so sure if I can be made into an adequate healer in just two days."

"Don't worry about it." Ashley said. "I mean, didn't you hear him? You're going to be a _medic, _not a doctor. You're not actually going to _heal _anyone. You're just going to make them more comfortable while they die."

Judging from the look on Liara's face, the young Asari was horrified by the prospect of someone dying in her arms. And judging from the look on Ashley's face, the marine was endlessly enjoying Liara's shock. "You'll do fine." Chief assured Liara. "Alright. We all have our roles. Now let's continue going over our equipment options. Officer Lawrence? I understand that you also want to show us the type-33 guided munitions launchers?"

"Ah, the type-33." N'tho mused. "_Classic._"

...

Saren observed the holographic layout of the battlefield. Geth armatures and entire platoons of Geth troopers patrolled the skyway and the ExoGeni building. Said building was currently serving as their command post, and with its impressive height, solid walls and winding corridors, it made for a good fortress. The colonists were, naturally, holed up in Zhu's Hope, defending the Thorian with their lives, as per the Thorian's orders. The Geth would occasionally attack the colony, looking for an easy way in. Thus far though, the colonists have been successful in fighting off these raids, but Gark told Saren that fifty of his best men and a whole company of Geth have situated themselves in the tunnels beneath Zhu's Hope and would carry out the raids from there. Maybe even find a way to the Thorian itself.

The initial attack on Feros couldn't have gone smoother. He had his ships destroy the communication satellites on the way down. One of their colonies in the traverse suddenly going dark would no doubt grab the Alliance's attention. Then, he landed on Zhu's Hope and asked to be let beneath the colony, saying he had something to offer. The colonists didn't understand him, but the Thorian did. The colonists then allowed Saren beneath their colony and Saren met and negotiated with the Thorian. The trade was simple; one powerful Asari biotic for the Cipher.

The Cipher. Something that was _vital _to Saren if he wanted to make any sort of sense of the vision from the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime, or any other clue he could find. Truly it was the glue that held the other clues together. Without it, all the visions in the galaxy would mean nothing.

After he got what he came for, he ordered his Geth to attack the Thorian. However, the Geth were quickly dispatched by the colonists, who then proceeded to drive Saren and what was left of his Geth entourage out of Zhu's Hope. They then shored up the colony's defenses and they've been holed up there ever since. After that, he ordered an all-out attack on the ExoGeni building, whose security forces were definitely not prepared for an invasion of this magnitude. He then ordered an all-out attack on Zhu's Hope as well, but it seemed that Saren underestimated the ferocity of the Thorian's thralls as they managed to push the Geth back. Now, patrols had begun on the skyway as well as probing strikes against Zhu's Hope. What was planned to be a fairly simple attack had now become a battle of attrition.

Saren and Gatatog Gark were in their command room in the ExoGeni building, both observing the holographic map of the building, Zhu's Hope, and the skyway and tunnels in-between. The Krogan warlord growled. He was getting impatient. Not surprising. He was a Krogan after all. "You sure he'll show up?" he asked.

"An Alliance colony hopelessly under siege from a Geth invasion?" Saren asked. "Oh don't you worry. John-117 will come _running._"

The acquisition of the Cipher and the destruction of the Thorian were simply two of the three goals of the invasion of Feros. The third goal? The acquisition of the Master Chief. It was a perfect trap. Saren knew that the Alliance's observation satellites saw his fleet on the move, and he knew that losing communication with Feros would immediately garner their attention. They'd put two and two together, correctly assume that Saren was attacking another one of their colonies, and they'd send their 'Master Chief.' Afterall, a colony under heavy attack by forces that were obviously under Saren's control was a target too tempting for a Human spectre. Not just one whose actual mission was to bring in Saren, but one who also had a personal vendetta against him.

It amused Saren, just how easily offended the spartan got simply by being called John. He must be even more uptight than a Hanar.

"I think you can handle it from here, Gark." Saren said. "I need to be on my way back to Eletania. I still need to find those ruins. You keep the pressure on that colony. Do whatever you can to kill the Thorian. We can't risk allowing the Cipher to fall into John's hands."

Indeed he couldn't. John already had that vision from the beacon on Eden Prime. The last thing Saren wanted was for John to acquire the very thing needed to comprehend it. The original plan was to acquire the Cipher and then kill the Thorian right away. Then wait for John to show up, and spring the trap the moment he stepped foot outside his ship. However, given the surprisingly effective defenses set up by the colonists, the colony could still be intact by the time John arrived. No matter. Saren was confidant that Gark would find a way in soon enough. So long as the Thorian was dead and John was in their possession by the time they get off Feros, the mission would be a success.

Hell. Perhaps the colony still being intact, and thus, capable of being 'saved,' might give John even more incentive to move deeper into Saren's trap.

"Just one question." Gark said. The Krogan then smiled evilly. "You want him dead? Or alive?"

"Either will do." Saren answered.

"Dead it is, then." Gark replied with a chuckle. Saren nodded in approval. It probably _is _better to bring John in dead. A corpse can still be dissected and studied, without the risk of it fighting back, breaking out, and killing you in the process.

...

After debriefing with Gark, Saren boarded the _Sovereign _and left Feros, returning to Eletania. Geth troopers, Krogan warriors, and even a few Asari commandoes passed by him as the rogue spectre walked through the corridors of the massive ship. He quickly sensed Matriarch Benezia's presence beside him.

"We've received word from our contacts on the Citadel." she reported. "When they arrived to pick the Chief up from Saleon, they found Citadel Security crawling all over Saleon's lab. John broke out."

"Why am I not surprised?" Saren sardonically asked. "Don't worry. He'll meet his end on Feros."

"Are you certain of that?" Benezia asked.

"Very." Saren replied. "Feros will not be like Eden Prime or Therum. John won't be an obstacle this time; he'll be an _objective. _The Geth army currently stationed on Feros is well over twice the size of the Eden Prime invasion force; seven thousand Geth strong. That should be more than enough to deal with 'Humanity's Greatest Hero.' Even a super-soldier like him cannot defeat an army of such magnitude."

"...And my daughter?" Benezia asked. Saren stopped walking, as did the matriarch. "I know she is with him now." she added.

"...Then she is now an enemy." Saren said. "I'll order Gark to take her in alive if possible...but I can't promise anything. Liara may force his hand." Saren turned to face Benezia, placing both hands on her shoulders. "Too much is at stake here, Benezia. We can not turn back now after coming so far. We're _almost _to the Conduit. And we must get to it first...no matter the cost."

Benezia looked down, averting her gaze from Saren. She looked sad for a moment. She then looked back up to him with determination in her eyes. "I will take no joy in Liara's death." she said. "In fact, I pray it will not come to that. But if it does, I will not sway."

Saren smiled. "Good."

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): SANGHEILI: BIOLOGY**

_Sangheili are easily one of the most physically fit species currently residing in Council Space. They can reach heights of eight and a half feet tall, weigh up to four hundred pounds, and have life spans of three hundred galactic standard years. Features such as digitigrade legs, a double set of pectoral muscles, and a binary vascular system all play a vital role in giving them strength and agility superior to most other species'. Most of these traits were adaptations developed in order to out-compete rival predators in the harsh desert-prairie environments located in the northwestern hemisphere of their homeworld Sangheilios, where the Sangheili originally evolved before spreading across the rest of the planet._

_Their quadruple-hinged jaws originally evolved to grip smaller prey and swallow it whole. However, once their brains got bigger and they began learning how to craft and use tools, the Sangheili began hunting bigger game, using their jaws to rip off large chunks of flesh. In absence of a tongue, their throats are lined with taste buds. Additionally, they sport a highly water-efficient digestive system as a consequence of having evolved in an environment where fresh water is scarce. The intestines absorb almost all the water from any food item. Their waste products are very dry, and they do not urinate at all._

_Sangheili females are typically shorter, thinner, and slightly curvier than their male counterparts. Being reptile analogues, Sangheili typically reproduce by laying hard-shell eggs. A female usually only lays one egg at a time, with more eggs than that being rare but not unheard of. Due to their longer-than-average life spans, it is possible for a female to have dozens of children before menopause sets in._

_..._

**So now you know why I wanted to know about Sangheili eating habits. Big thanks to Colonel-Mustard1990 for suggesting the chopsticks, smart grid for suggesting that they get most of their water directly from their food (which to me suggests they evolved in a harsh dry desert environment, which is an idea I really liked for some reason) and everyone else who just suggested they ripped off chunks of flesh and swallowed them whole. Also, I'm taking a Biological Anthropology course this quarter. Hopefully it showed a bit in today's codex entry. Learning a lot about the evolution, biology, and resulting culture of your own species can help you put together the same for other species.**

**So yeah. Feros next! Well, actually characterization on the way to Feros next. THEN Feros**


	21. Give me your hands, if we be friends

**Remember in the last chapter when I compared myself to DBZ Abridged? Well, Teamfourstar released the latest episode which means I have to release the latest chapter in order to avoid looking bad. I take solace in the fact that Episode 28 of DBZA took two months while Chapter 21 of this schlock only took one. Enjoy.**

...

0600 Hours, March 3rd, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Undisclosed Location in the Exodus Cluster

...

Master Chief opened his eyes and checked the clock. Six am, as usual. He took one last second to enjoy the forbidden pleasure that was a decent bed, before unfurling the covers and putting on his armor. "Morning, Chief."

"Morning, Cortana." Chief said as he looked over to Cortana's holographic image on the room's PC. He paused in putting on his armor.

"...What?" Cortana asked, off put by how her Spartan was staring at her.

"You're pink." Chief said.

Cortana's holographic model looked very different than it did yesterday. Her face and overall body shape were still the same, but instead of a calming shade of blue, Cortana was now hot pink in color, and her hair was now long and flowing like a blonde movie star. Additionally, she wore a long, elegant dress that was also pink and had only one strap draping over one of her shoulders. Cortana grabbed her dress and observed it, then carefully examined her hand.

"Really?" Cortana asked. "I thought it was just lightish red." She turned to the Chief and smirked. The Spartan just kept giving that neutral stare of his. She rolled her eyes upon realizing that her Spartan didn't appreciate her little joke. He rarely does. "Well, Garrus said I was too recognizable so I thought I'd try a new look. What do you think?"

"...You're hot pink." Chief said.

"You don't care for hot pink?" Cortana asked. Chief shook his head before putting his helmet on. "Well, this'll just be my disguise for when we meet strangers." Her dress and long hair disappeared in a flurry of pixels as she went from pink to blue. "When it's just you and me though, I'll stick to 'classic Cortana.'"

"Sounds good." Chief said as he stood up.

"So, what's on today's agenda?" Cortana asked.

Chief paused in thought. "Chakwas is taking care of Liara's medical training. Ashley should be drilling Tali on that shooting range later today. Those are the only two that need proper training, I think. Everyone else should already know how to use their weapons."

"So you totally trust N'tho with a portable plasma cannon?"

"...I'll drill him once his shift starts." Chief quickly decided. "Meantime, I'll grab a quick breakfast and head down to the garage myself."

"Gonna shoot at holographic dummies four meters in front of you?" Cortana asked.

"Not like there's much else for me to do right now." Chief replied with a shrug. With that, he left his quarters.

...

After eating his breakfast and drinking his early morning coffee, Master Chief got into the elevator and rode it down to the garage. There were usually one or two people down by the firing range whenever he visited it, but this was the first time that he visited it this early in the morning, so hopefully he'd have it to himself this time.

No such luck. When the elevator stopped and the door opened, Tali was there, lazily shooting at the holographic dummies. Chief raised an eyebrow underneath his helmet and walked up to the Quarian. "Tali?" He asked.

Tali lazily turned towards the Spartan. "Oh. Hello Chief." she said in a dreary tone.

"According to your work schedule, your shift isn't due to start for another two hours. What are you doing up so early?" Chief asked.

"Couldn't sleep." Tali answered as she fired off some shots at the target with her pistol.

"It shows. You're missing." Chief said. The holographic dummy was, rather than being red in one spot, orange all over.

"It's just...the ship runs so quietly." Tali said.

"The silence kept you up all night?" Chief asked, a little confused by that statement.

"Back on the flotilla, the last thing you want to hear is silence." Tali explained. "It usually means an engine's died or an air filter's shut down. I guess you don't have to worry about that here, but old habit die hard."

The Quarian put down her pistol and walked over to the mako. She leaned against it and sighed wistfully. "But it's more than just the silence." she went on. "The _Normandy _runs so smoothly, and yet it feels so empty, as if half the crew is missing."

Chief walked over to the mako to join the Quarian. He didn't lean against the vehicle, but he still stood close enough to her keep her talking. "Don't get me wrong. This ship is amazing and your crew's been really great to me. Especially your chief engineer. I guess I just sort of feel...out of place."

"What were the ships in the migrant fleet like?" Chief asked.

"Crowded." Tali said. "I couldn't wait to go on my pilgrimage. To get away from those crowds. But now that I'm out here, I kind of miss them."

"You're homesick." Chief said matter-of-factly. "Pretty common for rookies like you. You'll get used to it."

Tali sighed and nodded. "You know, there's always a few who go on their pilgrimages and never return. I always assumed something bad happened to them. But maybe they just wanted a different life."

"You thinking about a different life?" the Spartan asked.

The Quarian shook her head. "I could never abandon my people, Chief. I will go back eventually. But we have to stop Saren first. Otherwise, I might not have a home to go back to."

The next minute or so was spent in silence. Chief kept standing there while Tali kept leaning against the mako, no doubt lost in her thoughts. It was then that Chief thought of something. "So..." the Spartan said, breaking the silence. "What _is _the pilgrimage, exactly?"

Tali turned her head towards him. "You don't know?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, you never really explained it to me." Chief replied.

"Well...let's see" Tali began as she thought about how to explain. "Well, when my people reach maturity, we leave our birth ships and seek acceptance with a new crew. It's necessary to maintain genetic diversity among the fleet. But no ship wants to accept someone who will be a burden on them. So, to prove our worth, we embark on a pilgrimage."

She pushed herself off the mako and began to pace around, seemingly pacing for its own sake. "We set out alone, leaving the flotilla and our families behind us. We only return once we have found something of value we can bring back to the fleet. This is presented as a gift to the captain of the respective ship we wish to join. If the gift is accepted, we are welcomed into the crew."

Quite a mouthful. Tali wasn't just feisty, she was chatty too. "And if it's not accepted?" Chief asked.

"That doesn't happen often." Tali said as she shook her head. She stopped pacing and now faced Chief visor to visor. "Most captains are eager to increase the size of their crew. It increases their own standing in our society. Even when a gift is not particularly valuable, the captain usually accepts it out of a sense of tradition." She paused. "However...there _is _a stigma to presenting a sub-standard gift." she slowly added. She said it in a slow, sardonic sort of way. Like 'stigma' was putting it lightly. "It's not the best way to make a good impression on a new community, so most pilgrims don't return until they find something truly worthwhile."

"So, basically the pilgrimage is when a young Quarian gets kicked off their ship, go look for something valuable and then bring it to a new ship?" Chief asked to clarify.

"Yes, but they don't just 'kick us off our ships,' as you so eloquently put it." Tali replied. "Before we leave, we are given gifts to help us and given lessons in how to survive outside the flotilla." She crossed her arms in a haughty sort of pose. "Like shooting a brute in the face, for instance."

Cortana was right. Tali really _wasn't _going to let the Chief live that one down.

"We also receive implants to fight off sickness and disease. Generations of living in an isolated and highly controlled environment have left our immune systems weaker than most." Tali went on.

"Your immune systems?" Chief asked.

"Er...yes." Tali replied. "It's why we where these environment suits."

"I thought it was because you Quarians didn't breathe oxygen. Like Unggoy and Volus." Chief said.

Tali shook her head. "No. We Quarians breathe oxygen just like you do. It just has to go through an environment suit's air filters first. Anyway, my point is we are well prepared by the time we leave the fleet. The pilgrimage is a rite of passage for all Quarians. If it were dangerous, our numbers would suffer."

"You sure the pilgrimage isn't dangerous?" Chief asked. "Because it did lead you to _me _of all people."

"Well, _most _pilgrimages aren't dangerous." Tali corrected. "That reminds me of a funny story. A few years back, a pilgrim arrived on my ship, the _Rayya, _seeking to be inducted into my community. Kal was his name I think. Anyway, you won't believe what he presented to my captain as a gift."

Chief shrugged.

"A brute _gravity hammer._" she said.

Gravity hammers. Ceremonial melee weapons wielded by brute chieftains not just as deadly weapons but as symbols of power and authority. As if having a heavy head and a backwards blade wasn't enough, it also had a field generator that could manipulate the gravity around it, hence the name. It could push objects away or pull them towards the wielder, but more often then not, the field generator is used to make the hammer's blows much more devastating. Chief asked the first question that came to mind.

"How did he get one of those?" Chief asked.

"I asked him the same thing." Tali said. "He just shrugged and said 'Wasn't easy.' Though the broken ribs and the slash marks on his suit definitely gave me a pretty good idea of how he obtained it. Don't worry, he was treated for his injuries. He turned out fine. Needless to say, the captain was impressed with the gift. The field generator in the hammer proved interesting to study and if nothing else, it proved Kal was very brave. Heard he's a marine now."

"Why am I not surprised." Chief said. Indeed. A marine really is the only career suitable for a man that crazy. "Anyway, back to your sleep problem. You should download a noise machine program on your omni-tool. Maybe the sound of bad engines blaring in your ears can soothe you to sleep."

Tali snorted in laughter at Chief's comment. "But until then, let's head up to deck two and get some coffee in you." Chief added after Tali's laughter subsided a bit.

"I can't drink coffee." Tali said with a shake of her head, still giggling. "Quarians are dextro-amino. You know, like Turians."

"Then we'll get you the same stuff Garrus drinks. I don't think he'll mind sharing if I order him to." Chief said. Tali snorted out another laugh. "Oh come on, that one wasn't even a real joke." Chief pointed out, which only made Tali laugh more.

He decided to chalk this up to Tali's lack of sleep. Everything seems to be funnier when your brain's half asleep.

Chief and Tali ascended the elevator up to deck two. At the galley, Tali poured the dextro-equivalent of coffee, goren, into her suit's liquidation system. Chief was surprised that Tali's suit had a liquidation system much like his own suit did. It made him wonder what else Quarian suits and Spartan armor had in common.

"So what features does your suit have?" Chief idly asked.

"Huh? Oh." Tali said, a bit taken aback by Chief's question. "Well, I have combat seals to clamp off infected parts of my body in case I get a hole in my suit. It also has automatic antibiotic injectors when needed."

"Nice." Chief said. His new MJONIR came with an automatic medi-gel dispenser, but those came standard in all Alliance hard suits. Antibiotics though? Chief didn't know deploying those in the field was even possible. "Hard vacuum capability?"

"A little, but I wouldn't last long in space without a proper oxygen supply." Tali explained.

"Room for mods? Shields and things like that?"

"Yes. Quarian suits are designed to be customizable. It helps that they've got a lot of pockets." Tali explained. "By the way, while we're on the subject of suits...can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Chief said.

"Why do you wear your suit all the time?" Tali asked.

Chief thought it over for a second before answering. "Same reason you wear yours all the time, I guess." he replied. "It keeps me alive."

"On the battlefield, yes." Tali said. "But we're inside a ship. Nobody's shooting at us. So why are you still wearing it?"

Chief was silent. He never expected anyone except Cortana to really ask about it, so he was caught unawares by Tali's question. "I mean, I wear my suit all the time so that I don't die from germ exposure. You're a Human, so you don't have to worry about that sort of thing."

"...I guess I just feel more comfortable in this armor." Chief replied. He knew it wouldn't really make sense to someone who wasn't a partan, but it was the truth.

"You're more comfortable hiding your face?" the Quarian asked. Chief nodded. They stood in silence for a second.

"...I hate being in a suit, you know." Tali said. "I hate having to monitor it, maintain it. I hate that I can't taste food or smell a flower without the need of scrubbers or air filters. Even in the sterile environment of the migrant fleet, I still have to wear this suit, even in the presence of other Quarians. Two Quarians can still infect each other with _something _if they're both exposed and in the same room. I can't show my face to anyone, and I rarely get to see the faces of my own family."

She paused. "You can, Chief. You should appreciate that more."

"...Are you getting snippy with me again?" Chief asked.

"Just...giving you personal advice. Sir." Tali replied.

"I see." Chief said. "Any more personal advice you want to give me?"

"Yes." Tali replied with a nod. "I think you should socialize with the crew more. I mean, from what I hear, you spend virtually _all _of your time inside your quarters. Don't you ever get lonely?"

Chief did not nod or shrug or anything of the sort this time. He just stared at the Quarian. "When I asked if you had any more personal advice, I was asking rhetorically, Tali."

"Those are just my thoughts. Sir." Tali said.

"...Go ahead and download a noise machine program when you find the time, Tali." Chief ordered. "I'll need you well-rested when we get to Feros. Dismissed."

Tali tried to give Chief the proper Human salute. It needed work. Her hand was where her mouth was, or at least where Chief thought a Quarian's mouth was. She then turned and headed back to the elevator, either to shoot some more targets or start her shift early, Chief didn't know.

Overall, Tali seemed to be fitting in well on the _Normandy, _if the fact that the other engies have more or less accepted her as one of their own is any indication. She was homesick, but that's to be expected from a newcomer. She'll adjust in good helped that she was a social and, evidently, very talkative person. Chief wondered if all Quarians were like that. They probably were. It would make sense too. If the migrant fleet really was as crowded as Tali said it was, Quarians would have to be naturally social creatures just to keep themselves from going crazy.

Chief thought about the advice Tali just gave him. How he should appreciate the fact that he can take his helmet off whenever he feels like it. How he should talk to the crew more. She sounded a lot like Cortana at that moment. The AI had been bugging him about socializing with the crew more for days.

...Tali also sounded a bit like Sha'ira back on the Citadel.

_Lower your guard. Let them bond with you. Let them ease your sadness. Then you will no longer feel alone._

Great. Now even the mysterious oracle women was bugging the Spartan into making friends.

...So why doesn't he?

It was a question Chief never really thought about before. He avoided social interaction with the rest of the crew for the most part. So far, the only real conversations Chief had with the crew was on the firing range, and that was really only because the other shipmates happened to be there whenever he felt like firing some shots off. Hell, even the poker game he played the other night happened only because he stumbled upon it when he looked to squeeze in some target practice before bed. If he felt like going to bed early, he wouldn't have played, not even if he had prior knowledge of the game.

Whenever Cortana asked him why he didn't socialize more, he'd simply tell her that he wasn't the socializing type and then he'd just leave it at that. And for the longest time, Chief did believe that. He wasn't the socializing type, ergo, he did not socialize. Simple as that. There was no real purpose behind it.

Just as there was no real purpose to being a shut-in, he realized.

He thought it over and realized that, even though he stumbled across those interactions more or less by accident, he chose to stay in them. He could've ignored Garrus, Wrex and N'tho as they swapped stories while shooting targets. He could've said no when Kaidan invited him to play poker with him, Ashley, Grenado and Negulesco. The fact that he took up these interactions when they were offered to him seemed to suggest that Chief had at least _some _desire to integrate himself into the crew rather than keep a professional detachment from them. But why? Why would Chief want to integrate himself into a crew that had so very little in common with him?

_Deep beneath all this armor, beats a sad and lonely heart._

...Well, there was Chief's answer. He was the last Spartan in all the universe. Fred, Linda, Kelly, Sam, they were all gone. All of them. There wasn't even a new generation of Spartans that he could relate to. After the war, the UNSC was focused on rebuilding their civilization and so saw the continued production of super-soldiers as a waste of money. Also, the data pertaining to the SPARTAN-II augmentation procedures was destroyed in the Fall of Reach, so the Alliance couldn't really make a new wave of Spartans even if they wanted to.

Master Chief was a SPARTAN-II in the 27th century. A holdover from a long-dead era. He was the only one of his kind. No wonder he seemed to play along when others tried to interact with him. Tali was right. He _does _get lonely. Chief grunted, the epiphany leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

Was Chief really that desperate? Was he really so desperate for companionship that he'd accept invitations of friendship from non-Spartans? Non-_Humans _even? He supposed he shouldn't be ashamed to admit he was lonely. After all, Humans were social creatures at the end of the day, much like the Quarians funnily enough. Dr. Halsey would, if she were here, no doubt argue that craving companionship didn't make the Master Chief weak. It made him Human. Still, Chief didn't like the idea of relying on people on an emotional level. He didn't want to be _dependent _on anyone outside of a firefight.

It could be argued that Chief can easily carry on with his mission as is; only talking to his crewmates when it's convenient for him, and spending the rest of his time in his quarters. It would have no impact, positive or negative, on his combat effectiveness and it would not bring him any closer to the Conduit. It could also be argued that he could socialize with the crew more. Get to know them. Integrate. Enjoy their company. That too would have no impact, positive or negative, on his combat effectiveness. and it too would not bring him any closer to the Conduit.

_You only feel alone because your own heart is so heavily guarded, like every other part of your body._

Chief did indeed feel alone. It was by no measure a pleasant feeling. He'd love to be rid of it. Since his personal interaction or lack thereof with the crew would have no significant impact on the mission either way, why not choose the option that would give him the added benefit of friendship? Of belonging?

Maybe because it's not possible, the logical part of Chief's brain argued. There were no other Spartans in the galaxy, let alone the ship. There was a reason Spartans only opened up to each other, after all. So what were the odds that he'd even be able to relate to anyone?

Then he remembered Sergeant-Major Avery Johnson. A man who was, back in the Human-Covenant War, one of the few non-Spartans Chief could've called a friend. He was tough, bold, brave, everything that made him an ideal Human. The galaxy was a bit less bright when Johnson died, or at least it seemed that way to Chief.

Johnson was no Spartan. But that didn't stop Chief from calling him friend.

So it was that Spartan-117, swallowing his pride, decided that maybe he should start talking with the crew more, if only to alleive his own loneliness. He doubted how successful he'd be, but he had nothing to lose from trying.

On a whim, he decided to start with the pilot.

...

The CIC was busy as usual. Chief briefly checked in with Pressly to monitor the ship's progress. The _Normandy _was still cruising her way through the Exodus Cluster. Nothing of note to report really. Chief sent his XO back to his duties and made his way to the cockpit. He walked past 'the trenches,' the areas in the bridge where computer specialists operated their computers, monitoring everything from long-range sensors to ship-wide communications.

Sitting at the very front of the cockpit in the pilot seat was Flight Lieutenant Jeffrey 'Joker' Moreau. There were two other helmsman seats on either side of him, but they were currently unoccupied. Not surprising. The _Normandy _was just cruising at the moment. No immediate need for two co-pilots. Joker looked over his shoulder and smirked.

"Well well well." Joker said as he saw the spartan approach. "Come to give me my medal huh? Took ya long enough. I prefer gold to silver, by the way."

Chief raised his eyebrow under his helmet. "Who said anything about a medal?"

"Well, I just figured you'd recommend me for one since I, uh, pulled your boots outta the fire back on Therum." Joker replied with mock modesty.

"Do you really wanna spend a couple of hours sitting on stage listening to politicians give speeches while cameras flash in your face?" Chief asked, several similar instances from the Human-Covenant War suddenly coming to mind. He always hated those cameras.

"Hehe, good point." Joker snickered, apparently finding the idea of cameras flashing you about as appealing as the Spartan did. "They'd probably make me shave too." he started stroking his beard affectionately. "I spent seven weeks working on this baby. No medal's worth that."

Chief suddenly realized that he had cracked a joke without even having to think about it. Perhaps integrating into this crew wouldn't be so hard after all?

"So, what brings you up here, tall dark and badass?" Joker asked.

The Spartan decided it best to simply be honest. "Guess I finally got tired of spending most of my time in my quarters." he said with a shrug. "Thought I'd get to know the crew a little bit better."

"Really?" Joker asked. "Huh. Didn't take you for the socializing type."

"Normally I'm not." Chief said. "But when you're the last of your kind, you suddenly stop being so picky about who to keep for company."

"...Wait...you saying you wouldn't hang out with me if there were other Spartans around here?" Joker asked in what sounded like an accusing tone. "Is THAT all I am to you? Just a plan B?"

Chief was suddenly regretting talking to Joker. He was about to apologize for offending him when Joker suddenly held up a hand, as if to stop him from getting his next sentence out. "Were there...female Spartans, Chief?" the pilot asked.

An odd question. "Well, yes." Chief replied. "There were Spartans 058, 087, 130..."

"Don't lie to me Chief." Joker interrupted. His lower lip began to quiver. "Were they...were they _prettier _than me?"

"...Yes. Yes they were."

Joker then covered his face with both his hands and began pretending to bawl and cry, doing his best impression of a high school girl who just got dumped. Chief smiled.

"So!" Joker said, immediately snapping out of his fake bawling. "What do you wanna know?"

Chief shrugged. "You're the helmsman. How does the _Normandy _handle?"

"Like the best ship in the fleet." Joker replied. He smirked. "_If _you've got a pilot who know to handle her." he haughtily added. "The balance isn't what you'd expect. Takes a while to get used to that oversized drive core we got stuffed in the back and her power can sneak up on you if you're not careful."

He casually leaned back in his chair and put both his hands behind his head in a lounging position. "The _Normandy's _probably too much ship for your average Alliance pilot, Chief. Lucky for you, I'm anything but average."

"That a fact?" Chief asked with crossed arms. "What are your flying credentials?"

Joker then stood up rather abruptly. "Credentials?" he asked as he turned his head back towards the SPARTAN-II, his voice suddenly taking on a suspicious tone.

"Yeah. You know. So I know you're as good as you're bragging." the Spartan clarified.

"...Oh, I can see where this is goin'." Joker began. "First you open up with some friendly conversation and then you get down to the nitty gritty details, huh? You did a background check on me, didn't you? Well, I'll tell you the same thing I told the captain. You _want _me as your pilot. I'm not good. I'm not even great. I'm the _best _damn helmsman in the Alliance fleet! Top of my class in flight school? I EARNED that. All those commendations in my file? I EARNED every single one! Those weren't given to me as _charity _for my disease!"

The spartan was suddenly questioning if coming up here was really a good idea.

"You have a disease?" Chief asked.

Joker seemed surprised for a moment. "You mean...you mean you didn't know?" Chief shook his head. He turned away and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Crap." he muttered.

"Okay." Joker began as he turned back to the Spartan. "I've got Vrolik's Syndrome, aka, brittle bone disease. The bones in my legs never developed properly. They're basically hollow. Too much force and they'll shatter. Even with crutches and my leg braces it's hard to get around. One wrong step and CRACK! It's very dramatic. But I've learned to manage my condition, Chief."

He pointed a finger at the Spartan. "Put the _Normandy _in my hands and I'll make her dance for you." he promised. He averted his eyes for a moment as a thought occurred to him. "Just don't ask me to get up and dance." he added as he regained eye contact. "Unless, you know, you like the sound of snapping shin bones."

Chief crossed his arms. "I need to know about your condition if you're going to pilot this ship." Chief sternly said. What little friendliness Chief had going in his system was now gone. He needed to confirm that Joker could do his job, which meant he needed to be more professional about this.

Joker grunted. "Of course you do." he grumbled. "It's an extremely rare condition. Nobody knows exactly what causes it. Genetic maybe. It's treatable, but there's no cure. They classify my case as moderate to severe. I was born with over a dozen fractures. Hips, thighs, ankles, my bones were already breakin' in the womb. A hundred years ago, I wouldn't have survived past my first year. Lucky for me, modern medical science has turned me into a 'productive member of society.'" The pilot snorted in disdain at that last part.

"Does this disease hamper your job at all?" Chief asked.

"Uh, I don't fly with my feet Chief." Joker said, gesturing to his control console. Indeed, it was all at hand level and none of it was by his feet. "So I'm fine as long as I'm in this chair. I gotta be real careful when I get up to take a piss though."

He leered at the SPARTAN-II. "I can do my job as well as anyone else on this ship. Better, actually. So don't worry about it."

"Master Chief." Negulesco suddenly said. "I'm getting a transmission from Admiral Hackett."

"Admiral Hackett?" Chief said, straightening up on reflex at the mention of an admiral's name. "What does he want?"

"Um...to talk to you?" Negulesco answered rather unhelpfully. "Something about a PR fiasco?"

"I'll take it in the comm room." Chief said as he began walking over to the room in question. Probably better he take the call now. It was a good excuse for the Spartan to get away from Joker after their conversation turned bad. Still, what did Hackett mean by 'PR fiasco?'

...

_"Humans have been trying to get the respect of the galactic community for years. WIth that in mind, what are your feelings on being the first Human spectre?"_

_"No comment."_

_"Do you believe the claims of some Human interest groups that making you a spectre was just the council 'throwing Humanity a bone?'"_

_"No comment."_

_"Have you encountered any situations where the Citadel asked you to place its needs before the needs of Earth?"_

_"No comment."_

_"Do you think it was appropriate to hand Earth's most advanced warship over to the Council?"_

_"No comment."_

_"Is it true you're tracking a rogue Spectre?"_

_"No comment."_

_"Is it true you're just a shill for the Council?"_

_"No. Comment."_

Oh. That's what Hackett meant.

_"The Master Chief." _Khalisah said as the video of the non-interview ended and the screen switched back to her sitting behind a desk. _"We all hailed him as the savior of Humanity, but who is he really? Is he truly the hero everyone thinks he is? Or is this just an image? An ideal? And the real man is, in truth, just a cold, distant, bitter old soldier with no love for the common man? Only time will answer these questions for certain. Back to you, Hudson."_

Chief clenched his fists and his jaw in anger. No love for the common man? Chief dedicated his entire life, literally, to fighting for Earth and all her colonies. Every mission he went on, he gave his all. Same went for his friends, many of whom died in defense of Humanity. And after all that, this is how the SPARTAN-II gets treated?

"For what it's worth, I don't blame you for walkin' out on her." Hackett's voice crackled through the transmission. "Westurland News is infamous for misrepresenting facts to fit their agendas. Still, brass isn't happy with how the interview went."

"I don't do interviews, sir." Chief said as a matter of fact.

"You're gonna have to if you're going to be representing Humanity." Hackett pointed out. "You're a celebrity now, Master Chief. You need to learn to handle the media better. Six billion people across Alliance space watched that story and at least half of them think you're a jerk now. You can't afford to make another PR mistake like this again. Understood?"

"Understood, sir." Chief said.

"Good." Hackett replied. "In addition to a report to the Council, I want you to forward a Feros after-action report directly to Alliance brass. We'll then release the non-classified details to the media. Hopefully saving a colony from a Geth attack will help you save some face. Hackett out."

Hackett cut off his transmission. Chief grumbled a bit. As if finding another clue to the Conduit and saving Human lives weren't good enough reasons, repairing his public image is now another good reason to get ready for Feros.

Chief missed being classified information. Being known may improve troop morale, but it leaves you vulnerable to tabloids.

...

Chief decided to check in with Chakwas and Liara in the medical bay. Maybe a conversation with them will go smoother than a conversation with Joker. Chief needed to check on Liara's medical training anyway. Hopefully, Chakwas made some headway with her.

Chief entered the medical bay and saw Chakwas working at her PC. Liara, however, was nowhere to be seen. "Master Chief?" Chakwas asked as she noticed the Spartan's presence. "Is there something you need?"

"Where's Liara?" Chief asked.

"In the back room." Chakwas said as she pointed to a door at the end of the med bay. "I haven't started today's lessons yet, if that's what you're here to ask. However, I did start her training last night, and she's been showing good enough progress."

The doctor gestured to what looked like a human body on one of the medical beds. Upon closer inspection, Chief recognized the body as a dummy; ballistic gel skin, organs filled with fake blood, synthetic bones, pretty typical dummy for medics-in-training to practice on. In the torso, readily visible through the transparent ballistics gel, is dried up bio-foam.

"Good to see she knows how bio-foam works." Chief said. "Mind if I talk to her? There's a few things I need to ask her about."

"Of course, Master Chief. She's just in there." Chakwas said as she gestured to the back door. Chief nodded and headed through. In the room, he saw Liara watching something on the PC.

...

_"Okay." Bipbap whispered as he and Mozarn arrived back at Bipbap's house. The lights were out and it was pitch black. "You can sleep in my basement for tonight. Nelaya's asleep, so just keep it down and you should be alright."_

_"Appreciatively. Thanks for letting me stay over tonight, Bipbap." Mozarn whispered in reply. "Distressed. If my wife found out I forgot her anniversary again, she'd flay me alive with her mind. I'm going to have to spend all day tomorrow looking for a gift."_

_"Don't worry, buddy! I got your back!" the Unggoy replied. "If Milara asks, I'll just tell her you worked overnight at the-"_

_The lights suddenly turned on._

_"Quarry." Bipbap finished._

_Standing right by the light fixture was a sky-blue Asari wearing a long night gown. She had a disapproving, yet not at all surprised, look on her face._

_"...You heard every last word between Mozarn and I, didn't you?" Bipbap asked. The Asari nodded._

_"Well then." Bipbap said._

_The Unggoy paused._

_"Mozarn! Escape Plan Golf!" Bipbap yelped as he climbed up Mozarn's arm and onto his back._

_"Surging with Adrenaline. Executing Escape Plan Golf." The Elcor crisply replied as he, very slowly, made his way to the same door from which he and Bipbap entered the house from moments ago. Rolling her eyes, the Asari activated her omni-tool and used it to close the door. The light on the door went from green to red, signifying it was locked._

_"Panicked. She's locked the door." Mozarn stated._

_Bipbap slowly turned his head toward the Asari, who just kept on giving that disapproving deadpan stare, with a raised eyebrow added in for good measure. The Unggoy just started wringing his hands while giving his 'please don't throw me out' chuckle. The Asari covered her face with her palm._

_"My Life with Bipbap will return after these messages from our sponsors." the narrator stated._

...

"Master Chief." Liara said as she noticed the Spartan entering the room. She stood up from her seat and faced him as the door behind him automatically closed. "Are you coming to check up on me?"

"Yeah." the Spartan replied. "Saw your handiwork out there with the dummy. Good to see you know how a biofoam dispenser works."

"Thank you." Liara said. "It took me a few tries to get it right though. I imagine I'll need to practice more today and tomorrow."

"Good to hear you're making progress." Chief said. He turned to the computer. "What were you watching?"

"Oh?" Liara said as she too looked to the computer. "Oh, just _My Life with Bipbap. _It's a popular new situational comedy program on Thessia. It's about an Asari matron named Nelaya and the rather humorous misadventures of her Unggoy bondmate, Bipbap."

"Bondmate?" Chief asked.

"Er, yes. Bondmate." Liara replied. "What you Humans would call a husband, I suppose."

"...She married a grunt?" Chief asked. "Why?"

"Well, she's Asari."

"And?"

"...You...are not familiar with Asari mating rituals?" Liara asked.

"...Noooo..." Chief answered slowly and cautiously. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like where this particular conversation was going to head.

"Oh. Well...I suppose I should explain then." Liara said as she started wringing her hands nervously. "There have been many inaccuracies among other races regarding this subject. To start with, my species is mono-gendered. 'Male' and 'female' have no real meaning for us. We still require a partner to reproduce. This second parent however, may be of any species and any gender."

Chief widened his eyes a bit underneath his helmet. Asari can mate with anyone? _Anyone? _Just when he thought he was finally starting to figure out all these aliens, they throw him another curve ball. And this was easily the biggest one yet. "Asari can mate with anyone? How does that work?" the Spartan asked.

"Mating is not quite the proper term." Liara said as she held up a hand in a correcting gesture. She paused in thought for a second. "Well, not as you understand it, anyway." she added. "Physical contact may or may not be involved, but it is not an essential element of the union. The true connection is mental. Our physiology allow us to meld with other beings. We can touch the very depths of their minds. We explore the genetic memory of their species. We share the most basic elements of their individual and racial identities. We then pass these traits on to our daughters. It's how we learn to grow as a species and how we develop a greater understanding of other races."

Chief paused in thought. This was one of those things that took a while to fully process. "So...Asari inherit traits from the father race?" the spartan pressed. "Like say, an Asari with a...Sangheili father would be stronger and faster than other Asari? Or one with a Kig-Yar father would have keener senses?"

"Well...in a way, yes." Liara replied. "An Asari will provide her offspring with two copies of her own genes. The first set is her own, while the second set is altered during the melding process. The 'father' species determines how this second set is altered. The offspring is always an Asari. We do not actually take any DNA from the father, but rather use their DNA as a...'map' of sorts to help randomize the genes, and thus inheriting those traits."

Huh. So that's how that works.

"So, what happens to the partner after the union?" Chief asked.

"Every relationship is different." Liara continued. "Some unions are a single encounter with both parents parting ways afterwards. Others can be more long term. Sometimes an Asari and her partner will stay together for many decades."

"Wait. Don't you Asari live for a thousand years?" Chief asked. "What happens when your partner dies before you do?"

"Few sapient species live as long as my kind." the scientist acknowledged with a nod. "We have learned to take a philosophical approach to our unions. We do not focus on the inevitable loss of our partners. Instead, we enjoy the time we spent with them. And even after they are gone, a part of them lives on in us. The union is a connection that transcends both time and space."

So basically, the Asari philosophy to relationship is to not worry about the future. Just enjoy the here and now. Enjoy what you've got while you've still got it. Chief could respect that kind of thinking.

"Interesting." the Spartan said. "So who was your father?"

Liara's eyes suddenly turned away from Chief's visor, darting about the floor instead. "Benezia rarely spoke of her partner." she quietly answered. "Though I know my father - if you want to use that term - was another Asari."

"Wait, I thought you needed another species to reproduce." Chief interjected.

"Think about it, Chief. If we were not able to mate with our own species, we would have died out long before we ever mastered space flight and left our homeworld." Liara pointed out.

Chief was suddenly a little embarrassed that he asked that question at all. In hindsight, Liara's point was obvious. The Spartan decided to chalk up the ignorant question to inexperience with aliens and leave it at that.

"Although..." Liara resumed. "Union with our own kind is no longer common. Not for the purposes of reproduction. Most Asari believe it weakens our species. As I explained earlier, Asari daughters inherit racial traits from the father species, expanding our genetic diversity. If both parents are Asari, then nothing has been gained. Or so conventional wisdom would hold."

She paused, her face turning downcast again. "I am what is sometimes called a...'pureblood.' Though no Asari would ever be cruel enough to say it to my face. It is a great insult among my people. It is possible that Benezia's partner was embarrassed by their union. She may have been too ashamed to publicly acknowledge me as her offspring."

"...Sorry about that." Chief said. He couldn't think of anything else to say in response to what essentially was 'my father abandoned me.'

"It is possible that Benezia's partner wanted to be part of my life, but something happened to her before she had the chance. At least, that's what I would like to think sometimes." Liara went on. "My mother never spoke of her partner. Whatever happened, it caused her too much pain to dwell on it. She raised me by herself, though that is not uncommon. Many Asari raise their children alone, particularly if the father species is short-lived, you see. Often, the partner will pass on long before the child reaches maturity."

An awkward silence fell on the room for a few seconds.

"...Well." Chief said, unsure of how to proceed. "Good to see you're making progress, so I'll just leave you to resume your off-time and your further practice later on."

"Wait Master Chief." Liara said as she held out a hand in a grasping motion. Catching herself, she withdrew her hand back and briefly looked away before continuing. "I never properly thanked you for rescuing me from the Geth back on Therum. If you hadn't shown up..."

"I was just doing my job." Chief interrupted.

Liara nodded. "I know you took a chance bringing me onboard this ship. I have seen the way your crew looks at me. They do not trust me. But I am not like Benezia. I will do whatever I can do to help you stop Saren. I promise."

"Good to hear." Chief replied. "For what it's worth, I trust you enough to not sell us out to Saren."

Liara smiled warmly at that sentiment. "It means a lot to hear you say that, Chief. Thank you."

...

The Master Chief decided to take a break from socializing after that last awkward conversation with Liara. Integrating with the crew didn't seem to be working out as well as he'd hoped. After eating lunch and spending a few hours going over possible battle strategies for Feros, Chief decided to head down to deck three for target practice. He found it easy to strike up a conversation or two down there in the past. And if it turns out he'd be the only one down there, it might be for the better anyway.

Chief stepped out of the elevator onto deck three. He saw N'tho lying on a large stack of crates, next to the weapons bench, playing with his omni-tool as he often does when he's off-duty. Ashley was standing in front of a computer at the weapons bench. Both seemed oblivious to the spartan's presence, each one too engrossed in their own activities. Chief walked over to the weapons bench to get an assault rifle.

"Oh, before I go..." a voice from the computer said. Apparently, Ashley was in a video-conversation with someone else. "We saw Master Chief on the news here. Ten to one says he's a real _cutie _underneath that helmet. Later, sis."

The face that was on the computer screen disappeared after that last sentence. Slowly, Ashley turned to the Chief, looking mortified. "..._Please _tell me you didn't hear that." she begged.

"Alright. I didn't." Chief replied.

Ashley's cheeks began burning a bright shade of red. N'tho snickered a bit from atop his perch as Ashley shut her eyes tight and clenched her fists. "One word out of you N'tho, and I will rip your intestines out through your anus." N'tho promptly stopped snickering after that.

"Family?" Chief asked.

"Until I get home and kill her." Ashley muttered in reply. "One of my sisters, sir. Sarah, the youngest."

"One? You have others?" Chief asked.

"Er...Yeah. I'm the oldest. Then Abby, then Lynn, then finally Sarah. She's still in high school."

"Brothers?" Chief pressed.

"No sir. Just us girls." Ashley replied as she shook her head. She chuckled nervously. "You know, it's funny. With four daughters and a wife, Dad used to say he felt more outnumbered at home than on maneuvers."

Chief remembered when Ashley could barely speak in front of the Master Chief without constantly saluting and calling him 'sir.' She still seemed a little nervous around him, but for the most part, it seemed like she was slowly getting used to being around the Spartan enough for her to ease up a little.

"I take it your family is important to you?"

"Yes sir. We've always been close. Me and my sisters especially. With Dad on duty so much, I had to help Mom raise them." Ashley explained.

"Your father served with the fleet?"

"Yes sir...took any crap posting he could get that offered space time." Ashley's face suddenly scrunched up, like she just got a bad taste in her mouth. "Worked his ass off trying to get recognized. But he never made it above Serviceman Third Class." she grumbled. "He was real proud when I made Gunnery Chief. First thing he did was salute."

"And your mother?"

"You know how military wives are." she went on. "Strong because they have to be. Able to raise kids while Dad's away on a six-month cruise. She has a degree in planetary geology. Wanted to see new worlds as much as Dad did. She gave that up to raise us at home though."

"And where is home for you?" Chief asked. "Earth? Eden Prime?"

"And then some. We lived all over, sir." Ashley answered. "We transferred a half-dozen times before I finished grade school. You go wherever Personnel Command sends you, right?" she shrugged. "I guess that's why I'm so tight with my sisters. We'd have to leave all our friends every two or three years."

Bond with those closest to you, because you can't really depend on anyone else sticking around. The Master Chief could relate to that. It's why fellow Spartans were the only ones Chief had any ease bonding with. Those were the only people he could depend on to still be there. In a way, the other Spartans were like his siblings. One big happy family.

"So...did you grow up mostly on planetary colonies or habitation space stations?" Chief asked, hoping to keep the conversation moving.

"Colonies, sir." Ashley promptly answered. "Dad always wanted to serve in space, but he wanted us to have real ground under our feet. He'd say 'Space is beautiful, but you can't raise a family there.'"

Then she started doing something Chief didn't expect. She started reciting poetry.

_I cannot rest from travel: I will drink_

_Life to the lees. All times I have enjoy'd_

_Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those_

_That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when_

_Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades_

_Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;_

_For always roaming with a hungry heart_

_Much have I seen and known; cities of men_

_And manners, climates, councils, governments_

"Wait...was that Ulysses?"

Chief and Ashley looked up at the stack of crates. N'tho, who had been uncharacteristically silent up until now, was now in an upright sitting position and looking at Ashley. He smiled. "Always was in my top five favorite Human poems."

Ashley perked an eyebrow. "You read Tennyson?" she asked.

"Um...Squidhead, remember?" N'tho said as he jerked a thumb at himself. "Sangheili with a love of Human culture? Any of this ringing a bell?"

"Didn't take you as the type to read poetry." Chief said.

"Are you kidding me?" N'tho replied. "A love of Human poetry is practically a _requirement _to call yourself a proper Squidhead."

"Alright. Prove it." Ashley dared as she crossed her arms.

N'tho leapt off the stack and rolled his neck and his shoulders, as if warming up for an intense exercise. He spun on his heels towards the two Humans in front of him. He puffed out his chest and tucked his hands behind the small of his back, looking very proper. Then, he spoke.

_If we shadows have offended,_

_Think but this and all is mended,_

_That you have but slumber'd here_

_While these visions did appear._

_And this weak and idle theme,_

_No more yielding but a dream,_

_Gentles, do not reprehend:_

_If you pardon, we will mend._

_And, as I am an honest Puck,_

_If we have unearned luck_

_Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,_

_We will make amends ere long;_

_Else the Puck a liar call:_

_So, good night unto you all._

_Give me your hands, if we be friends,_

_And Robin shall restore amends._

"Shakespeare." Ashley noted right after N'tho finished. "Nice."

"Midsummer Night's Dream is easily in my top twenty comedies." N'tho added. He snickered a bit. "I swear, I crack up every time at that one bit where the dude's head turns into a donkey's." N'tho turned to Ashley. "Your dad like Shakespeare too?"

"Sure he did. Who doesn't?" Ashley replied. "But Ulysses was his real favorite. Every time he shipped out, he recorded me reading it. He had a dozen versions when he retired."

"He still like it?" N'tho asked.

"...I sure hope so." Ashley replied with a smirk. "I read it to his grave every time I go home."

"...Oh." N'tho replied, suddenly very awkward. Chief suspected that Ashley was taking a near-sadistic delight in making N'tho feel like a jerk.

"Dad passed on a few years ago. He's probably still watching, though. So if you're one of those weird Squidheads that are sexually attracted to Human women...think twice before looking at me in a certain way."

"Or the spirit of your father will smite me from beyond the grave. Gotcha." N'tho replied. "And don't worry, I don't love Human culture _that _much. I mean sure, your hips, legs and butt are pretty easy on the eyes but those...'things' on your chest? THAT'S what ruins Human women for me."

"What? Boobs?" Ashley asked. "I'll have you know that in Human culture, boobs are considered to be very sexy by our men."

"They're fat lumps of squishy blubber that dangle off your chest and excrete bodily fluids." N'tho deadpanned. "I fail to see the attraction."

"...To be fair, they are kinda gross when he puts it like that." Chief threw in his own two cents.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Men." she remarked.

Chief smiled a little under his helmet. He then remembered something Ashley said earlier. "Wait. You said your Dad was still watching?"

"From heaven. He's with God now." Ashley quickly elaborated. She suddenly cringed a bit, catching herself. She slowly turned to the Master Chief. "That's not a problem with you, is it? That I believe in God?"

The Spartan shrugged. "Alliance protocol doesn't condemn or endorse the belief of any one particular form of faith. Believe whatever you wanna believe."

"And you won't get judged by me." N'tho joined in. "I'm a Sangheili. Believing in a higher power is kinda my race's thing."

"Glad you two are open-minded about it." Ashley said. "I've met a few people who were really weirded out by my faith. Because I work in space, I can't believe in a higher power? Hello, have you looked out a window lately? How can you look at this galaxy and not believe in..._something_?"

Chief turned to N'tho. "What about you?"

"Me?" N'tho said.

"Yeah. You got family?" the Spartan asked.

"Well...uh...let's see." N'tho paused and thought. "I'm part of the 'Sraom bloodline, in case the last name didn't give it away. I got six brothers and one sister. All in the Empire military."

"Wow." Ashley said. "Your family makes mine look manageable."

N'tho shrugged. "Pretty average for a Sangheili, actually. We have longer lifespans than most species. More time to live means more time to procreate, I guess. First there was N'umo. Then Oron and then Morkiss. M'knorn, M'thro, me and then finally the twins, Saff'ron and Saff'ira. Saff'ira's the only girl."

"Tell us about them." Chief said.

"N'umo's the oldest. He's a field master, but if he keeps doing well, he'll get promoted to field marshall in a few years. Oron's a zealot, making him the only swordsman, while the rest of us use just use energy daggers for close quarters fighting. His biological father was Falor 'Napoo, another swordsman."

"Wait, biological father?" Ashley asked. "You mean he was adopted?"

"No. Falor mated with my mother and Oron was born ten months after that."

Ashley widened her eyes. "Your mother cheated on your father with...that's disgusting!"

"What?" N'tho asked, confused. "Oh wait. Right. Humans don't do...okay, explanation time. In Sangheili culture, swordsman like Falor aren't allowed to marry, but can mate with any female he pleases, whether they're married or not."

Ashley shook her head at that. "That's just sexist. Don't they ask for the women's opinions?"

"Sure they do. And women line up around the block to mate with a swordsman." N'tho replied.

That answer took Ashley aback. "Wait...really?"

"Yeah. Our culture encourages swordsman to mate with as many females as possible. You know. Really spread around those swordsman genes. Heck, Oron himself has lost track of all the females he's mated with."

"And...the husbands?" Ashley asked.

"They consider it a great honor to have their wife mate with a swordsman. It means they get a chance to raise a swordsman themselves."

"Well...that's...weird." Ashley said.

"Yeah well, we also think it's kinda weird you Humans insist on not allowing your mates to mate with anyone but yourselves once you get married. Watch the ethnocentrism there Ash." N'tho remarked. "As for Oron, he may not have our own father's blood flowing in him the way the rest of us do, but we don't think that makes him any less our brother. And Oron doesn't think our dad is any less his father. We Sangheili believe our true parents are the ones who raise us. As far as Oron is concerned, while Falor is a respectable warrior, he's really just some guy who banged our mom once."

"Anyway." N'tho resumed. "Third born was Morkiss 'Sraom. He's infantry to the core. Tough as nails. Says a sword is all well and good but you can't blow up tanks with it. He prefers concussion rifles and fuel rod guns."

"Sounds like my kind of guy." Ashley said.

"He's a general now. Has hundreds at his command, but he still does his best to keep a personal touch with his men."

"General?" Chief asked. "That's a pretty high rank in the Sangheili military. How old is he?"

"Seventy." N'tho replied. "He's pretty young for a general. All the other generals like to call him 'young one.' Really gets under his skin. But he's got the kill count to back up his rank, so I'd follow him into battle any day. He knows what he's doing. Oron's eighty-seven and N'umo just hit the big one double-zero last year, in case you were wondering about their ages too."

"M'knorn is a ranger. He's about forty-nine. He's a squidhead like me, so we're pretty tight with each other. Crazy too. Then again, all the rangers are crazy. Guess you kinda have to be to wanna fight in a hard vacuum. M'thro's an Ultra, forty. He's a squidhead too. Likes to recite that speech from _Henry VIII _before an operation to get his men's blood pumping."

N'tho smiled. "And then there's me. N'tho 'Sraom, thirty-five, Special Operations."

"Charmed." Chief remarked.

"Finally there's Saff'ron and Saff'ira, the twins and the babies of the bunch. They're both ten years younger than I am. Both still minors...well, used to be." the Sangheili smiled. "Saff'ira got promoted to major before Saff'ron did. Really got on Saff'ron's nerves too. Now _he _is the one taking orders from _her. _As if the fact that she hatched a day before he did wasn't bad enough."

Ashley seemed to smile at that. "Nice to hear that Sangheili women aren't just there for mating with in your society."

"I didn't see any female Sangheili in your military during the Human-Covenant war." Chief pointed out.

"That's because they weren't allowed in the military back then." N'tho explained. "Back in those days, the duty of the Sangheili man was to fight for honor and to make the will of the Gods into reality. The duty of the Sangheili woman was to-"

"Stay in the kitchen?" Ashley asked with a raised eyebrow.

"More or less." N'tho said. "Course, that all changed with the huge amount of cultural exchange that took place between Humans and Sangheili after the war ended. One Human concept that really caught on with female Sangheili was feminism. The idea that women could, theoretically at least, do anything a man could."

"Theoretically my ass." Ashley muttered.

"A lot of females ate it up. They pointed to one of our oldest stories, of a female Sangheili who became a zealot by disguising herself as a male and ended up saving her whole state from an army of bloodthirsty heretics. They also pointed to how female Human warriors were well-documented during the Human-Covenant war. Even some Spartans, the most powerful Human warriors of all, were women. If the Humans could do it, why not the Sangheili?"

"I take it they faced opposition?" Chief asked.

"Oh yeah." N'tho replied with a nod. "Sangheili feminists struggled as hard as Human feminists did in their day. Arguably even more, since we Sangheili like to hold on to our traditions longer than most races. But, over time, the feminists won victory after victory until they finally won the right to serve in the front-line military about fifty years ago."

"And since then?" Ashley asked.

"V'rika Sumon." N'tho said. "Currently a general, and well-decorated one at that. Easily the highest-ranking female Sangheili alive today. Got that rank after a successful raid on a Jiralhenae base on the Terminus border. Nipped a possible planetary attack right in the bud."

"_Nice._" Ashley said. Being a female soldier herself, she approved.

"Zealots are the only branch of the Empire military left with a very blatant 'no chicks allowed' sign on it. But that too might change in another few decades. Man or woman, anyone can be a zealot so long as they have the proper swordsman genes. That's my opinion anyway." N'tho added.

"You talked a lot about your siblings. What about your parents?" Ashley asked.

"My old man's a shipmaster. He's in charge of a CCS-class battlecruiser, _Blessed Triumph, _in the Fleet of Righteous Destiny." N'tho said.

"And your mother?" Ashley asked.

"Still on Sangheilios. She's not in the military. Females on the front lines happened long after her prime, so she just decided to keep being a stay-at-home mom." N'tho answered. "Although, she's pretty good with knives. Both with using them to chop up vegetables for dinner and with using them for stabbing out the eyes of a Batarian, one eye at a time."

"...Damn." Ashley said.

"Yeah, that one's kinda of a long story. I'll tell you about it some other time." N'tho said.

After that, Chief decided that that was enough socialization for the time being and began his target practice. Ashley and N'tho joined in simply because they were there already. Chief decided to try out the Tsunami MK III assault rifle. It was a little bit heavier than the Lancer series, which was just fine by the Chief as the Spartan was more used to heavier weapons anyway. N'tho tested out the new plasma minigun. As expected, it tore the holographic to shreds, much to the young Sangheili's cheering approval. Ashley tested out the focus rifle and found it viscerally satisfying.

"It's a frikkin' laser beam!" she exclaimed.

Once the Master Chief felt like he had enough shooting practice, he bid Ashley and N'tho good night and took the elevator back up to deck two.

...

The Master Chief spent the rest of the evening reviewing any and all information in the codex regarding Feros. Master Chief thought at first that starting a colony on Feros made sense, as the foundations for a decent colony had already been built by the Protheans. Further research, however, disproved that notion.

With two thirds of the planet's surface covered in deserted city, there was little open ground for agriculture. The only sources of fresh water were at the poles, accessible only via the planet's old aqueduct system. Even the ruins, supposedly the planet's biggest selling point as a viable colony, were arguably not stable enough for proper colonization. Regardless, even after years of being looted by various races, many believed that there were still vast, untapped sources of ancient Prothean knowledge still hidden somewhere in the ruins. ExoGeni started up a permanent colony there in 2678 to find such sources.

Urban warfare was going to be the name of the game this time around. Most of the fighting on Feros was going to be street by street, building by building, room by room. Close-quarters combat was going to be a must here and, wouldn't you know, Chief had already made N'tho the team's close-quarters combat specialist. Feros could be N'tho's chance to shine, and also to redeem himself for his foolishness on Trebin. Ashley and Wrex were likely to do well in this environment too, as both have shown more than a little capability with their shotguns. Garrus might be more useful at range than in room by room combat, but he can take sniper positions in the floor of any given building and snipe Geth troopers across the street, providing covering fire for the rest of the team.

Tali and Liara were going to be the two wild cards here. They've both proven themselves capable soldiers, but they're still just civilians. This was going to be their baptism by fire. This battle will be what determines the roles those two will play in future operations.

Master Chief's biggest anxiety regarding this next mission wasn't his team, however. It was his objective. Or rather, lack thereof. He had no idea what he was supposed to be looking for on Feros. All he knew was that the Geth wanted something. But for all he knew, the Geth might have already taken that something and now they're destroying the colony to destroy the evidence. Hell, for all he knew, the Geth have already done _that _and have already left. It's possible that all the Master Chief will find when he gets to Feros is a big crater.

He wouldn't know any of this for sure until the _Normandy _actually reaches Feros. This was why the Master Chief hated waiting for a fight. By the time the wait was over, the fight could be over too.

Before he turned in, Master Chief went over the day's events in his head, specifically how he tried to follow the advice of Cortana, Tali and the Asari Consort and try to interact with the crew more. And what did he accomplish? Well, he offended Joker and had an extremely awkward conversation with Liara. He had pretty decent conversations with Ashley and N'tho regarding their families, but that was really about it.

And the Master Chief still felt as alone now as he did when he woke up this morning.

_You are surrounded by hearts much like your own. Hearts that are as willful, fierce, and wise as your own._

"Yeah right." Chief bitterly muttered to himself as he removed his armor. No one on this ship knew Chief, much less had a heart like him. Really, why was he even bothering? They don't know him, he doesn't know them, and he was fairly certain that he had almost nothing in common with these people.

_Deep beneath all this armor, beats a sad and lonely heart._

_Maybe that's just how a Spartan's heart is supposed to be. _Chief thought to himself as he began drifting off to sleep.

Spartans were trained to fight. To identify and eliminate key targets. To hold significant positions. Pull off missions that were impossible for any other kind of soldier. They weren't trained to make friends.

Admittedly, the Master Chief was lonely. But in the absence of fellow Spartans, he'd just have to learn to live with that. It wasn't a huge loss. It's not like befriending the crew would've vastly improved his aim.

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): SANGHEILI: MILITARY DOCTRINE**

_Sangheili consider themselves to be the finest warriors in all the galaxy, and with good reason. Their unique ranking structure ensures that only the deadliest and most effective fighters ascend to positions of prominent leadership within the Empire military. It is the only military in Citadel Space that awards promotions based almost exclusively on kill counts. While other factors, such as leadership capability and tactical intellect, are also taken into account, the accumulation of confirmed kills remains the primary determining factor behind promotions._

_Much like in the Turian Hierarchy, military service is mandatory for all citizens of the Sangheili Emprie, including Unggoy and Mgalekgolo. Sangheili are drafted into the military at the age of twenty at the rank of minor. As minors, they are issued a small squad of Unggoy so that superiors may accurately gauge the minor's leadership potential. Next rank after that is the major, who commands several minors and their Unggoy as well._

_It takes roughly one hundred confirmed kills for a Sangheili to be promoted past major. Once this occurs, the Sangheili warrior will have multiple branches of service to choose from. Some stay in the infantry, the most skilled of these warriors going on to become ultras and generals. Others choose to join the navy, becoming rangers, servicemen, and banshee fighter pilots. Others still may choose to join the Special Operations branch of the military. Many states on Sangheilios offer counsel to warriors on the eve of such promotions to help them decide which field of battle they would be best suited for._

_A recent major development within the Sangheili military is the induction of women into the armed forces. Sangheili have formerly had a very patriarchal society, believing that it was a man's duty to fight and serve the Empire, while it was the woman's duty to stay home and raise the children. However, after cultural exchange with Humans, this belief was challenged and, after almost a century of struggle, women were granted a place in warriors' circles. It has since been proved time and again that female Sangheili can be just as deadly as their male counterparts, the most famous example being the female General V'rika Sumon, who has become the face of Sangheili Feminism._

_..._

**One thing I really hope here is that I didn't portray the Master Chief as being too angsty. I've always felt that angst is like butter. A little bit can add some flavor to the character. Too much can make them hard to stomach. That said, I think the Master Chief's angst is somewhat justified here. He's the last of his kind, so it's natural for him to be feeling alone and withdrawn from everyone else. You see the same thing going on with Javik in Mass Effect 3; he keeps to himself a lot. He doesn't show much interest in making friends with anyone on the Normandy, despite the loneliness that must come with being the Last Prothean.**

**Speaking of Mass Effect 3, I've already picked it up and am working my way through it now. Yeah, I'm not one of those guys that bought Mass Effect 2 and blew through it in a week. I like to make my RPG's last, kinda like a season of my favorite TV series. Yes, that's right. I play through Mass Effect games the way I write Mass Effect fanfiction; at an agonizingly slow pace.**

**So, since I haven't reached the end yet, I would appreciate it if no one were to discuss the ending to ME3 in the reviews or PM's.**

**Speaking of the ending, let's talk about the ending. Well, not so much the ending itself, but rather the internet's reaction to it.**

**I've been doing my damnest to avoid spoilers for ME3's ending. And I've managed to successfully avoid them for the most part. However, while I may not know the ending, I do know that the majority (or at least a very vocal minority) of the game's fanbase found the ending...less than satisfying, to say the least.**

**This might be the naive fanboy in me talking, but I'm going to play through to the end of ME3's story to determine for myself if it's really as bad as anyone says. I'm hoping it's not, but at this point, I think I can safely rule out the ending I was hoping for. In which my Commander Shepard (a wise-cracking, head-shotting paragon infiltrator named Jack) defeats every last Reaper and then rides off into the sunset with his best girl Liara by his side.**

**And what if the ending IS as bad as everyone says? How would it affect this fic? Well, this IS a fanfiction, so it's non-canon to begin with. I guess I could tweak the ending a little if I truly find it that disgustingly bad. But since I'm hiding from any and all spoilers, I won't know for sure until I actually see the ending for myself.**

**Next chapter: Feros**


	22. Someone, Anyone, Please Respond!

**I know a lot of people find James Vega kinda bland, but I actually kind of like him. Mostly because he's the type of grade-A "Ooo-rah!" space marine you find in, well, Halo media. Seriously. I keep bringing him on missions in the hope that he'll call incoming enemies "Mike Foxtrots."**

**Now, while I have yet to reach the ending, I DID stumble upon a grave atrocity committed by Bioware...**

**In Mass Effect 3, Urdnot Wreav is NOT voiced by Jim Cummings.**

**To quote the Unggoy of Halo 2;**

***points at Bioware***

**HERETICS! HERETICS! HERETICS!**

**I was also disappointed that Michael Beattie didn't come back to reprise his role of Mordin Solus, but I guess William Saylers did a good enough job voicing Mordin. Though there were still times where I thought to myself "You're not Michael."**

**Finally, I decided to add dates and times to the chapters, since that's how chapters worked in the Halo books. Thought it would be a nice touch. It was kinda tedious, but we all must suffer for our art.**

...

0630 Hours, March 5th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Feros Orbit

Theseus System, Attican Beta Cluster

...

"Approaching Feros." Joker reported. The Master Chief was in the cockpit with him, staring out the window at the planet's surface. It all looked grey to him. No sign of oceans, seas, or even lakes. Nothing but grey. According to Feros's codex entry, all that grey was solid concrete.

"Picking up anything on long range sensors?" Chief asked.

"Nada." Joker replied.

The Chief turned to Negulesco. "Picking up anything on radio?"

"Plenty of chatter on the surface." Negulesco reported. "Nothing in orbit though."

"Fits Saren's MO." Chief said.

"MO?" Joker asked.

"Saren swoops in, grabs whatever he's after, and then leaves, leaving behind a big cleanup crew to destroy any evidence he was there." Chief elaborated.

"Oh, I see." Joker said. "The hunter has become familiar with his prey..."

"Lock in on Zhu's Hope and prepare to dock." Chief ordered, ignoring Joker's comment. The Spartan walked over to the CIC. Indeed, Saren's MO was similar to the Covenant's. The Covenant too would go in, grab whatever Forerunner relic they were searching for, and then they'd glass the whole planet from orbit. Saren was more pragmatic though. He knew he didn't have to glass a whole planet to eliminate evidence that he was there. The Covenant glassed every inch of a Human-held planet for reasons more religious in nature. And of course, Saren's invasions were typically on a comparatively smaller scale.

To the Master Chief, the lack of any signals in orbit meant either one of two things. Either it meant that he caught Saren still in the midst of trying to find whatever he's after, or Saren's already found it, has left, and his Geth are now trying to destroy what's left to keep it out of the Spartan's hands. Considering it's been two days since Feros went dark, the latter scenario seemed more likely.

Master Chief walked over to the CIC. With all four major weapons already on his back, he was ready for action. So too was his team. Kaidan Alenko. Ashley Williams. Garrus Vakarian. Urdnot Wrex. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. Liara T'soni. N'tho 'Sraom. They all stood before the Chief, fully outfitted with armor and weapons, ready for combat.

"Alright." Master Chief began. "We don't know much. All we know for certain is that the Geth are after something on Feros and we need to get to it and/or keep it out of their hands. This is a full-scale colonial invasion we're stepping into so expect heavy Geth resistance. Remember your fire drills, keep your heads down, and your odds of surviving this will be considerably better. We clear?"

All seven of them winked green.

"Good."

"Entering atmo now." Joker reported via intercom. "ETA to dock, five minutes."

"Weapons free." the Spartan ordered. "We're moving to the air lock."

...

"Equalizing interior pressure with exterior atmosphere." the VI announced. The door then opened to Zhu's Hope's docking bay. "Logged. The Commanding Officer is ashore. XO Pressly has the deck."

The Spartan observed his surroundings, his body and mind on high alert from the knowledge that this was a combat zone. The floor, walls, ceiling, just about everything on this planet seemed to be made of solid, if dusty, stone.

He glanced out towards the mouth of the docking bay. He saw some tall buildings out in the distance. The weather was very cloudy, sunlight being limited at best. Most off-putting of all was the cloud of fog that obscured the ground. Chief had no idea how high up he was.

"We're about fourteen hundred feet above sea level right now." Cortana reported, also noticing the fog obscuring the ground. "So yeah. Watch your step."

"Movement!" Garrus said as he raised his rifle, the rest of the squad following suite.

"Thank goodness! Help has arrived!" a high pitched, almost sing-song sort of voice said. The voice's owner buzzed over to the group and landed before them, its wings still out.

"A drone?" Ashley asked.

"Yanme'e." the insectoid alien corrected. Its wings vibrated every time it spoke, for some reason.

"What's a Yanme'e doing here?" Kaidan asked.

"This worker is here to work. Not important now." the Yanme'e quickly explained. "What's important is you're here! We saw your ship! You must speak with Fai Dan immediately!"

"Who's he?" Chief asked. By now he lowered his rifle. This Yanme'e had no weapons on it and didn't seem hostile.

"He's our leader." the worker said. "The Geth are making another push and he needs your help! He's up the stairs, past the freighter." it pointed towards a flight of stairs.

Suddenly, the Yanme'e exploded into green goo and bits of exoskeleton. A Geth rocket trooper's rocket launcher still smoked as it and four other Geth troopers came down the stairs. Garrus was the first to react. He unfolded his sniper rifle and fired, taking out one of the Geth's 'heads.' Blind, it turned around and opened fire in Garrus's general direction, prompting the rest of the squad to take cover.

"I hate Geth!" Garrus suddenly cried out. "Headshots don't work on them!"

"No, but this does!" Wrex replied as he whipped out his assault rifle and opened fire on them.

"So does this!" N'tho yelled as he threw a plasma grenade at the machines. It stuck to one and detonated, taking out two others. The remaining two, including the rocket trooper, still stood but with no shields left. Garrus shot the rocket trooper through the chest with his sniper rifle and Chief shot the other through with his own sniper.

"Move! Up the stairs!" Chief ordered as he dashed to the stairs, the rest of his squad hot on his heels. The Spartan climbed up the stairs and looked up. It was a stairwell containing over half a dozen Geth troopers and hoppers. His keen tactical mind went to work. These were not, by any means, ideal fighting conditions. The Geth had sheer height on their side. All they had to do was point their rifles down and squeeze the trigger. Master Chief's first idea was to just charge up the stairs and take out the Geth one at a time. It would be hard, but doable.

The Spartan then came up with a second idea. One that was quicker and easier.

He touched Liara's shoulder and pointed up the stairwell. "Singularity! Now!"

Liara's form was wrapped in a blue aura as she summoned all her biotic might. She thrust both hands forward and a small black hole formed in the stairwell. Every last trooper and hopper that was once firing down on them was sucked in and now looked as though they were caught in a whirlpool.

"Light 'em up!" Chief ordered as he raised his assault rifle and fired. Garrus, Ashley, Wrex, Kaidan, and N'tho did the same. Tali fired an overload into the floating mass of Geth to speed the process along. When the singularity faded, the dead machines all fell onto the floor in a massive heap of bodies.

"Aw man." N'tho said with a chuckle. "It's like that song by Frankenstein Joe. _A Pile of Dead Everything._"

"I'm not picking up anything else on motion sensors." Kaidan reported. "I think that was it."

"Not for long." Chief pointed out. "Bugger said the Geth were about to make another push. Let's move."

Master Chief led the squad up the stairwell. They came to a short corridor, at the end of which was an opening to the side. The Spartan swung out into the opening, rifle ready. He was met by four Humans pointing their guns at him from behind barricades. They lowered their guns as soon as they noticed the Chief wasn't a Geth.

"The Master Chief...?" one of the Humans quietly gasped.

"Glad to see you here, Chief. Our numbers are getting thin." another Human added.

"Clear." the Spartan reported to his squad. "I was told to look for Fai Dan?" he asked one of the colonists.

"Down that hall there." The colonist replied, pointing to a building of some sort. The Spartan nodded his thanks and marched in the instructed direction.

As he passed, he caught a glimpse of the colonists. Their faces and clothes were dirty with mud, dust and likely blood. They were all holding standard issue Lancer MK 1 assault rifles, but few looked like they had any business holding them. They stared at the Chief as he walked by, mouths agape. Chief knew the look by now. It was the look of renewed hope. The realization that, now that a Spartan was with them, maybe they'd actually survive. Maybe even win. Chief saw the look on hundreds of troopers and marines back during the war.

He walked by a woman who was working on a machine of some sort. "How's a woman supposed to think with guns going off all around?" she muttered to herself. "You. Hand me the five-eighths." The woman said to a drone. The bug searched through a toolbox before handing her the desired wrench.

Chief opened the door to the building, which revealed a long corridor. By now, he recognized that the building was, in fact, a partially disassembled _Kowloon_-class freighter. The squad followed him down the corridor. They passed one room with four other drones in it, who all seemed to be working on a broken computer. One of them had removed the access panel and seemed to be re-wiring it, the other three looking over its shoulders. They passed another room that had a Human couple in it. A woman was lying down, complaining of headaches while a man, presumably her husband, gently consoled her, assuring her that everything would be alright.

The Spartan opened the door at the other end of the hall and emerged back into the courtyard. A man in colonist garb walked over to the Spartan, a woman wearing a combat hardsuit next to him.

'Tired' was the only word Chief could think of to describe the man's face. He had tanned skin, a nearly shaved head, and a face covered in wrinkles. His eyes were the eyes of a man who had seen all too much and just wanted it all to end. Feros only went dark two days ago, so it's only been that long that the colony has been under siege by Geth, but from the look of this man, it almost made Chief wonder if the invasion had been going on longer than that.

The woman also had tanned skin. She had short hair as well, and much like her male compatriot, also had the face of a person who'd been through too much. But there was something else besides tiredness in her eyes. There was also suspicion, even resentment, as she sized up the Spartan.

"Fai Dan?" Chief asked the man.

He nodded. "That's me alright." Dan replied. "I'm glad they finally sent somebody to help us. And the Master Chief no less. It's an honor to have you here."

"Took them long enough." the woman grumbled at a barely audible volume.

"Arcelia!" Dan snapped at the woman, who seemed to jump at that. Calming down, Dan turned back to the SPARTAN-II. "Sorry, Chief. We've all been a bit on edge since-"

"Watch out!" Arcelia suddenly shouted as the Geth's tell-tale electronic stuttering was heard. "We've got Geth in the tower!"

"Protect the heart of the colony!" Fai Dan shouted as he whipped out an SMG while Arcelia withdrew her assault rifle and both opened fire. Master Chief threw a frag grenade at the approaching fire team of Geth. The explosion killed two outright and took out the shields of another two, which were quickly cut down by gunfire. Tali fired an overload at one of the Geth that still had its shields, which Garrus followed up with a sniper round right to the chest.

"Get over here!" Wrex shouted as he biotically pulled one of the Geth towards him. He unfolded his shotgun and fired it once the Geth floated into point blank range. The Krogan barked out a mocking laugh as the Geth's body flew away from him, a hole the size of a Krogan's fist in its chest. The last Geth didn't last long under the combined fire of seven misfit commandos, several colonists, and a SPARTAN-II.

"I'm detecting more Geth in that tower, Chief." Cortana reported.

"We need to clear out this tower! Move!" Chief ordered as he dashed through the tower entrance, his squad not far behind.

The squad fought and took down a few more Geth before arriving at another stairwell. It was just like the last one; multiple Geth Troopers and a few Hoppers, all pointing their weapons down, knowing full well they have the height advantage.

Well, if it worked once before...

"Liara. You know the drill." Chief ordered. The Asari once again summoned another singularity in the midst of the shaft, and almost every Geth present was sucked into it. The rest of the squad lit them up with gunfire before the singularity wore off, the Geth that got caught in it falling down to the bottom of the shaft in a pile of dead machines. Ashley and Wrex finished off the ones that were still twitching with assault rifle and shotgun, respectively.

"We should take you on missions more often." Kaidan complimented Liara.

"Up the stairs! Move!" Chief ordered as he dashed up the stairwell. The rest of the squad followed his lead. Behind the Spartan was Wrex, N'tho, Ashley, Garrus, Kaidan, Tali and Liara in that order.

They arrived at an odd room. It had a raised semi-circular platform with a sloped incline, while the rest of the room seemed to 'wrap' itself around the platform. The whole room was semi-circular, they quickly realized. And it was full of Geth.

"N'tho. Ashley. Tali. You three take the platform. Everyone else with me!" Chief ordered.

N'tho, Ashley and Tali rushed up the platform and situated themselves. N'tho propped his plasma minigun upon a concrete block and immediately began firing on the Geth. Tali rushed to the Sangheili's side and gave him support fire with her assault rifle.

Ashley rushed over to her own concrete block and unfolded her focus rifle. "Okay, let's see what this thing can do." the marine muttered to herself. She poked her head out of cover and quickly scanned the room. She identified a target near the back of the room; a Geth sniper. She quickly ducked back down to avoid further incoming fire, waited a few seconds for her shields to recharge, and then popped back out of cover, the focus rifle ready. She pulled trigger.

A continuous golden beam of light shot out of the gun's barrel, sounding like a high-pitched freight train going at mach 2, and hit the Geth sniper right in the chest. The beam quickly burned through its shields, melted through and eventually pierced is armor. The weapon eventually overheated, but by the time it did, the Geth had hole in its chest from which fire billowed forth. It collapsed.

"A laser beam!" Ashley roared in triumph! "This thing is a _foxtrottin' laser beam!_" She ducked back into cover, waited for her shields and her rifle to both recharge, and resumed her laser assault.

Meanwhile in the lower section of the room, Master Chief had blinded a Geth shock trooper with a sniper round to the head. Taking advantage of its blindness, he folded up his sniper rifle and rushed up to the blinded trooper. Spartan time kicked in as he approached the shock trooper. Its rifle was pointed in the direction Chief's shot came from. The SPARTAN-II sidestepped before the Geth could pull the trigger. He then knocked the weapon out of the synthetic's hand. Disarmed, it was helpless as he grabbed the Geth's shoulder and forcefully turned it around. He whipped out his pistol and opened fire on the Geth, using the Geth he had grappled as a meat shield. _Metal shield, _he mentally corrected himself.

The Geth fired on him, but only succeeded in hitting their compatriot. Furthermore, the Geth seemed so focused on him that they had practically forgotten the rest of the squad was there as well. The remaining half-dozen or so troopers quickly fell. The last one, another shock trooper, tried to flank the Master Chief, but he tossed the body of the long dead Geth he'd been using at its still-functioning compatriot, knocking it down. Kaidan delivered a crushing warp to make sure it didn't get back up.

"We're good." N'tho reported.

It was then that the familiar sound of a Geth dropship's engines was heard. The squad looked up and sure enough, a Geth dropship was visible overhead through a hole in the roof.

"See, THIS is why I think you talk too much, squidhead!" Wrex shouted.

"Everyone back into cover!" Chief ordered as several more troopers dropped into the room through the hole in the ceiling, including two big ones. These were similar to Geth Juggernauts, but were slightly shorter and were, rather than red, black with yellow trimmings.

"Target the big ones first!" Chief shouted.

N'tho kept pouring the plasma on from his position. By now, the Geth had identified him as a threat and began focusing much of their fire on him. "Wort wort wort!" N'tho swore as his shields ran out. He ducked into cover, but dared not come back out with all the fire that was hitting the block he was crouching behind.

N'tho growled. His martial honor demanded that he come back out and return fire, but he wasn't that dumb. He knew that he'd be torn to shreds within moments.

"I think I can draw some of their fire!" Tali yelled as she began furiously tapping on her omni-tool.

"How?!" N'tho yelled back.

"Like this!" Tali said as she tapped her omni-tool one final time. Suddenly, her whole body was wrapped in a bright white overshield. She boldly came out of cover and whipped out her needler.

The type-33 munitions launcher, aka the needler, was a Covenant weapon that quickly gained infamy during the Human-Covenant war as one of the deadliest anti-personnel weapons in the Covenant arsenal. It fired pink needles that homed in on hostile targets, the weapon being wirelessly linked with the user's IFF system. Each needle was sharp enough to penetrate deep into the victim's flesh, possibly ruining a vital organ. As if that wasn't bad enough, if six or more needles hit the same spot, they explode, usually killing the target instantly.

The needler Tali was using wasn't a type-33 though. It was a type-34, an upgrade. A weakness of the type-33 was that the needles only detonated when they made contact with an organic target, which made it useless against synthetic enemies like the Geth. Needler manufacturers tweaked the formula of the hardened gel that needles were made of to detonate when the needles made contact with any sort of enemy at all; organic, synthetic, or otherwise. Chief issued needlers to both Tali and Liara, figuring that as the only two civilians in the squad, they'd need a little extra bite.

Tali aimed her needler at the Geth destroyer and opened fire. The needles homed in and, true to their reputation, they detonated on impact. Synthetics were different to organics though. The Geth now had a hole in its chest, but it was still standing. However, N'tho came out of cover and fired his minigun, aiming right for the Geth's chest hole. The plasma melted much of the Geth's innards and the behemoth quickly fell.

"Wrex! Grenade on that other big one!" Chief ordered.

"With pleasure!" Wrex replied as he whipped out a spike grenade and primed it. He stood out of cover and took aim at the destroyer. He threw the grenade like a throwing axe, the Jiralhenae explosive spinning like a wheel of death, until it embedded itself into the destroyer's chassis.

"Everyone down!" Chief yelled. He knew what a spike grenade can do in close quarters. He didn't want any of his team to accidentally catch a spike.

The grenade detonated, spikes flying. One Geth trooper was literally nailed to the wall by a stray spike. Another fell over, a spike protruding from its back. Another was miraculously still standing, but with a two-foot spike through its 'neck.' White hydraulic fluid gushed from ripped up hydraulic tubes as the trooper slowly collapsed. It was, to use an organic term, bleeding out.

With the two destroyers taken out, it didn't take much else to take out the remaining troopers. The last one was knocked down by a biotic push from Kaidan. Chief casually walked over to the Geth and stomped on its head before it could get back up. He pumped a few shotgun rounds into the Geth's torso to finish it off.

"Negative contacts." Cortana reported.

"Clear." Chief re-iterated. "Let's go find Fai Dan again. I need a proper sitrep."

...

Master Chief and his team arrived back in the heart of Zhu's Hope. The Spartan split the team up. Kaidan, Wrex and N'tho were watching the tower entrance. Ashley, Tali and Garrus were watching the dock entrance. Liara was going around tending to any colonists that might have been injured in that last Geth attack.

"The tower's secure. Thanks to you, Master Chief." Dan gratefully said.

Arcelia snorted. "They may have been slowed down, but they'll be back. They _always _come back."

"The Geth are here because they want something from you. Any ideas what they might want?" the Spartan asked, cutting right to the chase.

"We don't know what they're after." Dan answered with a shrug. "They came, they attacked us. That's all we know. Their main base is at the Exogeni Headquarters. A good place to start looking if you want answers."

"Where is it?" Chief asked.

Fai Dan pointed to the tower. "There's an elevator in the tower that'll take you to the skyway. Should take you directly to the ExoGeni building. Big. Tall. 'EXG' on the side. Can't miss it."

"Of course, there's an army of Geth between here and there." Arcelia darkly added.

"How many?" Chief asked.

"According to the last reports from the Yanme'e scouts I sent, hundreds. Maybe even thousands." Arcelia replied.

"There's a garage up the elevator, at our end of the skyway." Fai Dan pointed out. "We have a couple of warthogs available, but they were damaged by the Geth. Our Yanme'e workers are trying to fix them. You can use the hogs to get to ExoGeni HQ, but not until they're fixed, which won't be for a while."

Warthogs? Those were still in use? Good. No doubt they've been given a host of new bells and whistles for the 27th century, but if they were still as hardy and reliable as Chief remembered, he might stand a chance.

Arcelia did not seem to share the Spartan's sentiments, though. "Even if they were operational, you wouldn't last thirty seconds out there. Skyway's crawling with Geth infantry _and _those walking tanks they've got. Plus you'd be very exposed to their air-power there. To put it lightly, you're in for a hard fight."

The Spartan thought as much. He took a look around the colony. The colonists were beat up, sick, hungry, and just plain tired. They needed evac. Chief turned back to Dan. "_Normandy's _no dreadnaught, but we might have enough room to airlift you all out of here."

The colonial leader shook his head. "I don't want to risk it. The Geth have total air supremacy here. They're going to be watching the docking bay now that you're here. Those Geth fighters could shoots us down in pretty short order." He paused, and looked around the colony. "Besides, I won't be driven off this world. It's...our home. There is a chance for growth here that is simply not available on other worlds."

"But before any of that growth can take place, we need these Geth destroyed." Arcelia added.

"Agreed." Fai Dan said with a nod. He turned back to the Spartan. "Master Chief. Since the warthogs aren't going to be available any time soon anyway, I was hoping you could help secure the colony in the meantime."

"What can I do?" Chief asked.

"There are still Geth down in the tunnels. Maybe you can clear them out. We also have more mundane problems like food, water and power. Those can all be found in the tunnels too." Dan explained.

"They can?" Chief asked.

Fai Dan explained. "The tunnels are where the water mains are. Geth switched them off, you can switch them back on. Our generator needs power cells, and our mechanic seems to think there might be some vehicles down there with power cells that could be salvaged. As for food, there's plenty of varren down there. Shoot a few and bring them back up here. Their meat should keep us going for a few more days."

"And the Geth?" Chief asked.

"We think they might have a transmitter down there to help coordinate strikes." Fai Dan answered. "Taking it out would make it harder for them to organize attacks, which would make it easier for us to defend against further attacks. We suspect it's fairly-well guarded though, so be careful down there."

Eliminate another Geth threat to the colony while gathering supplies to increase the colony's survivability. Two birds, one stone. With the warthogs temporarily out of commission, Chief might as well.

"I'll do what I can." Chief said.

"Thank you." Fai Dan replied. "Do you have any other questions?"

The Spartan looked over to a crate where a drone was sitting. "Now that you mention it, yeah." Chief replied. He nodded to the insectoid. "What's with all the drones?"

"The Yanme'e?" Fai Dan asked. "They were sent here by the company. The Mu'ashi hive has some kind of employment contract with ExoGeni. I don't know the details, but basically the hive gets money and the company gets cheap labor."

"Why weren't they fighting?" Chief asked. He remembered how ferocious drones were in the Human-Covenant War. He wouldn't mind having that kind of ferocity on his side.

"Yanme'e are like ants and bees." Dan explained. "They have two main castes; workers and soldiers. All the Yanme'e you fought in the Human-Covenant War? They were soldiers. Those drones were born to fight. Literally." the leader turned to the drone. "These poor buggers though?"

The drone held a stinger mk. III in its claws. It pulled the hammer back, and then released it. The clicking sound it made startled the drone, making it jump. It chittered to itself as it examined the pistol more closely.

"They're workers." Dan went on. "All they know how to do is build and fix things."

"When we issued them weapons, it took them an hour just to figure out which end of the gun was the shooty end." Arcelia added.

"We taught them how to defend themselves against Geth, but they're simply not trained for this kind of warfare." Dan said. He sighed. "Though to be fair, the same can easily be said of most of the Humans here."

"Are there any Yanme'e soldiers here at all?" Chief asked.

"There used to be. They worked security at the ExoGeni building." Dan answered. "But they didn't last long when the Geth hit that building. Doubt they saw an invasion like this coming."

"Nobody did." Arcelia grimly added. "Human, Yanme'e or otherwise, anyone at the ExoGeni building who isn't a Geth is probably dead by now."

Chief nodded. He keyed the rest of the squad. "New orders. Gather at my position." Chief said.

After the squad gathered around him, the Chief gave them all the lowdown of the situation. How the Geth had seized control of the ExoGeni building across the skyway, and it could be a source of valuable intelligence. However, their best chance of getting across the skyway, the warthogs, were currently in a state of disrepair and needed fixing before they could head for the HQ. In the meantime, Fai Dan had asked them to clear out the tunnels beneath Zhu's Hope of any Geth presence as well as secure supplies.

"We split up." Chief announced. "Kaidan. Tali. Liara. Garrus. I want the four of you to head up to the garage. See what you can do to get those warthogs fixed faster."

"Will do, Chief." Kaidan said with a salute.

"Ashley. Wrex. N'tho. You three are with me. We're heading into the tunnels."

"Sir!" Ashley saluted. N'tho gave Chief the Sangheili salute. Wrex? Wrex just smiled, knowing the fun he was in for.

"Let's move out." the Spartan said.

...

Once the elevator doors shut, Garrus kept his eyes on the floor counter. Evidently, there were several levels to this tower that could be accessed via the elevator, which suddenly made the Turian question why the team didn't take the elevator up to clear out the Geth.

Oh. Right. The elevator wasn't available from the bottom level. Only the stairs were.

For all their technological genius, Protheans were evidently not very practical when it came to architectural design.

"So Garrus." Tali said, breaking the silence and snapping Garrus from his thoughts. "Do you ever regret leaving Citadel Security to pursue Saren?"

The Turian chuckled at that. "Fighting a rogue Spectre with countless lives at stake and no regulations to get in the way? I'd say that beats C-Sec." he replied.

"I'm pleased that the _imminent destruction of all organic life _has improved your career opportunities." Tali sardonically replied. Garrus turned to the Quarian and raised a brow plate.

"Lock it down." Kaidan said to the two aliens. "We've got a job that needs doing."

Right. Fixing vehicles. Just like the Mako back on the _Normandy. _Not the most glamorous assignment ever given to Garrus, but then again, it was either this or join the other team down in the dark scary tunnels where Geth and even varren were waiting to jump from the shadows and shoot and/or eat your face.

The elevator door opened up to the garage. Two armored colonists with assault rifles saluted the Lieutenant, who saluted back. "Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko." Kaidan said. "What's the status of these two vehicles?"

"Still under repairs, sir." the colonist said as he gestured to the vehicles. About a dozen Yanme'e workers were buzzing around them, replacing parts with other parts, re-wiring this and that, it was hard to tell what they were doing to anyone with insufficient mechanical expertise.

"We're under orders from the Master Chief to speed up the repairs however we can." Kaidan said.

"Sure." the colonist replied. He turned to the Yanme'e. "Hey ladies."

The buggers all turned to the colonist. "These four are here to lend a hand."

"Good." One of the Yanme'e replied. "These workers will take all the help they can get."

"Alright then." Kaidan said. "Garrus, check the suspensions on these things. Liara and I will check the engines. Tali, see what you can do to weld up those holes in the transport hog's chassis there."

Garrus nodded and walked over to the warthog nearest to the elevator and checked the suspension systems. He was intrigued to find them quite loose. These things probably bounce around more than the mako, and that was saying something. He shuddered to think what would happen if the Master Chief got behind the wheel of one of these.

Then again, the Humans did have slightly more primitive versions of these back during the Human-Covenant War. No doubt the Master Chief drove those back in his day. Maybe the reason he drove the mako so erratically was because he wasn't used to it? Maybe he'd drive more smoothly if he got behind the wheel of a vehicle he was somewhat more familiar with? Garrus would have to ask Cortana about that.

Cortana. The AI. The Turian was working with an AI, and one that was seen as a war hero at that. Garrus never thought he'd be working with an AI, but then again, he never thought he'd working with a super-soldier Spectre either. Nor did he think that he'd ever be fighting a rogue Spectre and his army of genocidal Geth.

Garrus's life certainly took an interesting turn when he took the case on Saren about two weeks prior. And to think, he'd still be stuck on the Citadel, hacking his way through red tape if he didn't take that case. It's funny, the places the Spirits can take you to.

He looked off to the others working on the other warthog. A Yanme'e handed a torch to Tali, which she then used to weld closed a hole in the chassis. Meanwhile, Kaidan was poking around in the engine with the hood up while Liara stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. He felt a pang of pity for the Asari, who was the least technologically inclined of this group. She probably felt like a burden.

He wondered how the others would react if Cortana's existence was, hypothetically of course, revealed to them. He figured it would be a toss-up between admiration and revulsion.

Garrus knew that, prior to the Relay 314 Incident, the Humans were very fond of AI's and used them to good effect for centuries. They supervised science projects, warships, even the day-to-day maintenance of entire cities. A lot of Human groups, especially the Pro-Human group 'Terra Firma,' were extremely displeased with the prospect of having to give up AI's as a cost of peace. So, Garrus suspected that most of the Humans back on the _Normandy _would rejoice at having an AI, a legendary one at that, among them.

And yet...

Upon their creation, the Geth nearly drove the Quarians to extinction. Three hundred years later, they attacked Eden Prime, one of the Alliance's oldest colonies outside the Forerunner Cluster. He found it hard to imagine any Human trusting an AI after that. And then of course there were the few Non-Humans on the ship. Tali in particular would probably throw a fit.

Then again, Cortana was almost nothing like the Geth. Cortana and the Geth were both AI's...and that was about it. Unlike the Geth, Cortana bore no ill will towards organics. In fact, if the documentaries were to be believed, then she was one of the Master Chief's closest companions.

If there's one thing the galaxy learned from the Geth Wars, it's that AI's should not be trusted; they would eventually turn against their organic creators. So why didn't the Humans' AI's?

If the Turian had to guess, he'd probably say it was because of Cortana's origins. She was flash-cloned from a Human brain. So technically, Cortana wasn't a synthetic mind at all. She was a synthetic copy of an organic mind. She can empathize with organics. She can understand them. The Geth can't do any of that, so that was probably the key difference. So, maybe she really can be trusted? If the Master Chief trusts her, then so could the Turian right?

He then remembered something else about the Humans' AI's. He then realized that they eventually _did _turn on their organic creators. 'Rampancy,' the Humans called it. Garrus was fuzzy on the details, but basically Human AI's would go crazy after an operating cycle of seven years. They become about as dangerous as, well, the Geth. Maybe that's why the Geth turned on the Quarians. The Geth went rampant. Following a rogue Spectre claiming that he can return ancient sentient machines to destroy all organic life certainly sounds like something a crazy AI would do.

Seven years. That's how long it took from the day a Human flips the on switch. How old was Cortana anyway? Chief told the Turian about the 'data storage' thing Cortana did on the _Forward Unto Dawn, _which basically pressed 'pause' on her rampancy clock. So long did they have until Cortana turned on them? A year? Two years? Three? Maybe more? Maybe less?

Garrus grumbled a bit despite himself. He's starting to see why Chief wanted to keep Cortana a secret from the rest of the crew. If the Turian was having his own internal conflict regarding the AI's trustworthiness, imagine if the whole crew did the same thing.

Still, maybe the Chief should tell the crew about her. He can't keep her a secret from everyone forever. They're going to find out sooner or later, Garrus felt. If there's one thing he learned in C-Sec, it's that the truth always finds a way to rear its ugly head. Another thing is that it was usually better to come clean than get caught.

Garrus wasn't going to tell anyone though. He promised the Master Chief that he wouldn't tell, and it was a promise he'd keep. Besides, it wasn't the Turian's decision to make.

Garrus shook his head. Now was a bad time to think about these sort of things. He really needed to focus on these calibrations.

...

*SNAP!*

The snapping of the alpha varren's neck was a satisfying sound for the Master Chief after spending nearly two whole minutes grappling with the monster from behind, his arm around its neck as he tried to wrench it up. He let go of the fresh corpse, letting it collapse to the ground. He took a look around. The other three varren were also dead, filled with gun shot wounds.

Make that two. One was trying to limp away, even with four different gun shot holes in its torso which were all bleeding profusely. Chief didn't expect simple animals to be this difficult to kill. Then again, considering they came from the same planet as the Krogan, he probably shouldn't be surprised.

Cortana accessed the codex and told the Chief a bit about the varren on his way down to the tunnels. Varren were omnivorous hunter / scavengers hailing from Tuchanka. In the period of Krogan expansion that took place in between the Rachni Wars and Krogan Rebellions, the Krogan would bring the varren with them nearly everywhere they went. As a consequence of this, varren were common pests in many parts of the galaxy thanks to their adaptability and rapid breeding cycle. Varren were the worst kind of pests though. They weren't like rats or cockroaches. Rats and cockroaches weren't five feet long, two hundred pounds, and didn't have sharp teeth, powerful jaws, and a willingness to attack anything that moved.

However, there was a silver lining to this cloud. Varren meat was surprisingly rich in vital nutrients; not just protein and fats, but also carbohydrates as well. So if one could successfully hunt and kill a varren without getting killed themselves, then local varren populations could theoretically be a valid source of food.

Which brings the Chief to why he's down here; getting food for the colonists so they'd be able to last longer in a siege by the Geth. They may need this meat. It's possible that this battle could go on for days.

The group was currently in a small section of what looked like a collapsed subway tunnel attached to the main tunnel. Ashley was watching the entrance, Wrex was busy piling up all the dead varren, and N'tho was busy trying to get a power cell from a wrecked vehicle. However, it seemed as though the young Sangheili was having some trouble.

"Come...on...you...worting...thing..." N'tho growled as he pulled on the power cell. It wouldn't budge. He planted one of his hoofed feet firmly on the side of the vehicle, hoping it would give him better leverage. He tugged on it with all his strength.

Chief walked over to the young elite. "You need help?"

"No...It's okay...I got it..." N'tho strained to say as he continued to tug on it.

"I'm detecting clamps around that power cell Chief." Cortana reported. "The clamps will only let go of it once they're electronically deactivated."

"Can you deactivate them?" Chief asked after turning off his speakers.

"I could..." Cortana trailed off.

N'tho then planted both feet on the side of the vehicle and tried to use his entire body to pull out the power cell, his torso planking outwards as his eyes bugged out of his skull.

"...But I'm having too much fun watching this."

"Cortana..." Chief warned.

"Okay, fine. You win." the AI conceded. Chief's tool activated and flashed a blue pulse, the clamps around the cell deactivating soon after.

However, N'tho was still pulling on it when that happened. When the clamps deactivated, he fell to the ground with a startled yelp.

Cortana laughed at that.

"Booyah!" N'tho shouted as he held up the power cell triumphantly.

"Good for you." Chief deadpanned. "Come on. We still need to turn the water mains back on and find that Geth transmitter."

"And the varren meat?" Wrex asked as he nodded to the pile of corpses.

"We'll come back for that when we're done. Let's move." Chief replied.

The team of four left the room and re-entered the main tunnel, which was strewn with the bodies of several Geth they had killed on the way in here. They eventually came to the second main switch. The Spartan pressed a button. He looked through the pane of glass on the pipe and watched as the newly-released water flowed back the way he came.

"That's two for three." Cortana reported.

Master Chief keyed Kaidan. "Alenko. What's the status on those hogs?"

"They're in bad shape, Chief." Kaidan answered over TEAMCOM. "Geth shot them up pretty bad over the last few strikes, but I think we can fix them."

"How long will it take?"

"Well, we just finished welding the bigger bullet-holes shut. We just need to fix the engines, and we can patch up most of it with omni-gel. I'm thinking ten, fifteen minutes? We should be close to done by the time you wrap things up down there."

"Acknowledged. Keep me posted." Chief replied as he keyed off.

"I'm detecting the transmitter across the bridge, just down that hall." Cortana reported as she highlighted the objective on Chief's HUD. Chief gestured for his team to follow before he crossed the bridge with his weapon drawn. Cautiously, they approached the door. Chief saw a lot of red dots in front of him on his motion tracker. The door opened when he got close enough.

Above was a Geth hopper surveying the long corridor the team emerged in. Below it were a pair of Geth snipers on a balcony overlooking the hall. Four more Geth troopers were at the end of the hall.

As well as three Krogan.

"It's the Master Chief!" one of the Krogan barked. "Get him!"

"Oh look John. More fans." Cortana quipped. The Krogan that shouted the Spartan's name five seconds earlier bounded down the hall at the Chief while the Geth opened fire. "Activating overshield." Cortana reported. With a flash of blue from the Chief's omni-tool, the Spartan's armor was wrapped in swath of bright white. With an overshield on hand, Chief would be able to work. He put away his weapon as the Krogan continued to charge.

Spartan time kicked in.

The Master Chief had learned his lesson well from Therum. Due to redundant nervous systems and high vitality in general, hand-to-hand combat with a Krogan was typically trickier than it was with other species. However, after studying Krogan physiology more closely since then, the Chief was confidant he could take a Krogan one-one-one this time. The trick is to know where to hit them.

First, he'd hit the Krogan right in the nose with a right cross. The nose was a sensitive area for most species, and the Krogan were no exception. Even though the Krogan was wearing a helmet that completely obscured his face, a punch to that area powered by augmented muscles and MJOLNIR armor should still be felt. With any luck, it should stun him for a second.

He'd immediately follow up with a left uppercut to the most obvious weak point on a Krogan, the throat. This blow would knock the wind out of the alien, stunning him further. Again, the area was covered, but the armor around there looked to be of a kevlar-like material. Once again, if Chief could hit it hard enough, the Krogan would feel the blow.

Stunned and out of breath, there will exist a small window of opportunity for the Chief to grapple the Krogan. Grab the alien by the crotch in his right hand, by the collar in his left. The Chief would pick the alien up over his head, and then slam him back down to the floor.

Finally, Chief would plant his boot on the Krogan's throat, putting all his weight on it while he whipped out his shotgun and pump several rounds into the Krogan's head.

The Krogan continued to charge. It was time to execute.

...

As soon as that Krogan yelled 'get him,' Ashley had already whipped out her assault rifle and began pouring on some fire. But when she saw that Krogan charging right at the Chief, she thought to turn her fire on that overgrown bullfrog before he did any serious damage.

Then, the Master Chief punched the Krogan right in the nose, uppercutted his throat, picked him up, threw him back down, stomped his throat and the pumped a few shotgun rounds into his face. All in the span of about three seconds.

"Woah." Ashley said. Shots from the Geth snapped her from her reverie as she took cover behind a pillar-like nook in the walls. Chief did the same after noticing he too was under fire.

...

Master Chief tossed a frag grenade at another Krogan. The Krogan swatted away the grenade, which landed at a Geth trooper's feet. Upon detonation, it killed the trooper and took out the Krogan's shields, the blast making him stagger a bit. Chief popped out of cover to pump some shotgun rounds into the alien, Ashley following the Spartan's lead as she poured the fire on from her rifle.

Meanwhile, Wrex was priming another spike grenade. Those two snipers on the balcony overhead were getting annoying so he decided to deal with them. He threw it underhanded, aiming for it to get high enough so that it landed on the balcony. It wouldn't stick to anything, but the blast radius should do enough damage that it wouldn't need to.

The grenade landed right between the snipers and detonated. Both of the machines were impaled with spikes and collapsed. Wrex smiled. That's two nuisances dealt with.

The Krogan Chief and Ashley were shooting at eventually collapsed. Even a Krogan could only take so much fire. N'tho had been pouring plasma fire from his plasma minigun down the hall since the Chief went into cover. And with a such a narrow field of view, the Sangheili could not hope to miss. After another trooper fell, the remaining two Geth were smart enough to take cover in the nooks in the walls, but the last remaining Krogan tried to charge down the hall. Believing the Krogan would at least shield them, the Geth came out of cover and returned fire.

"Oh no you don't!" Wrex shouted as he thrust out his biotics. He hit the younger Krogan with a biotic push, sending the alien flying down the hall, knocking over his two Geth buddies.

"And take this with ya!" N'tho yelled as he threw a plasma grenade at the Krogan. It stuck to his chest and then detonated.

The blast killed the last two Geth troopers, but miraculously enough, the Krogan survived. Barely though. He struggled to get up to his feet. There was a hole in chest, his ribs visible through his partially-melted flesh. He groaned and coughed as he struggled to rise.

Chief switched out his shotgun for his sniper rifle and finished off the Krogan with a shot to the head. Considering the amount of pain the creature was in, it was probably a mercy kill. The corridor was silent.

"We clear?" Ashley asked.

The Geth hopper from earlier lunged at the Master Chief.

The Spartan swatted the hopper to the ground as it flew towards him, then he stomped on its torso. The hopper's headlight faded as it went limp, dead.

"We're clear." Chief said as he took his boot off the Geth's caved in chest. He wiped the white synthetic fluid off his boot on the floor before casually walking down the corridor to the next chamber.

As Wrex examined the bodies of the other Krogan, for valuables Chief assumed, the others walked into the next chamber and found the Geth transmitter in an alcove at the far end of the room. It looked like any other transmitter tower. A base at the bottom, a shaft in the middle, and a rotating top with a couple of dishes and antennas on it.

Chief whipped out his shotgun and unloaded on the transmitter. First shot damaged it. Second shot started a fire. Third shot made it explode. Chief's visor momentarily polarized from the flash of light of the explosion before going back to normal.

"Guess that just leaves the water." Cortana said. "The third water main is further down the tunnel. I'll mark it on your HUD."

"Chief! Get over here!" Wrex called. "There's something you need to see!"

Chief, accompanied by Ashley and N'tho, walked over to where Wrex was. The merc was standing over one of the dead bodies of the Krogan, the one that eventually succumbed to the combined firepower of Chief and Ash in the last firefight. Wrex had pried the helmet off the alien, revealing his dead face. Orange blood trickled out of his nose and the corner of his mouth while his eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling.

Wrex turned to the Chief. "You notice anything odd about this Krogan?"

Chief looked down at the body. It _did _look different from any other Krogan Chief had met before. Rather than a hard crest, its forehead was covered in bony ridges. "It's got ridges instead of a crest." Chief observed.

"That's a sign of adolescence in Krogan. The ridges gradually fuse into a crest as they get older." Wrex elaborated, tapping a finger on his own crest for emphasis. "I took the helmets off all three of them. None of them have full crests, just ridges. They're _all _adolescents."

The Master Chief shrugged. "They were dumb kids who signed up for a bad cause." the Spartan stated. He'd seen this kind of thing happen before. He remembered how, back during the Outer Colony Rebellions, the Insurrectionists would target citizens below the age of thirty for recruitment. You own the youth, and you own a powerful tool. Apparently, Saren knew that as well as the Insurrectionists did.

Wrex shook his head at the Spartan. "You don't get it." the Krogan said. "Thanks to the genophage, the odds of a Krogan pregnancy carrying to term is a thousand to one." he gestured to the dead Krogan. "So what are the odds of encountering three _adolescent_ Krogan in the same place at the same time?"

"...Very low." Chief realized.

"Maybe it's just a coincidence?" Ashley suggested.

"Maybe." Wrex conceded. He looked back down to the dead Krogan and scowled with distaste.

"Come on. We need to turn on the last water main and then we can head back to the surface." Chief said. He walked out of the corridor and back into the main tunnel, his squad following him.

They slowly made their way further down the main tunnel, weapons out and at the ready. They had been fighting a lot of Geth, varren and now Krogan in those tunnels. Another ambush could hit at any given moment.

So it was a great relief to the Spartan when they finally arrived at the third water main without encountering any more hostiles.

However, they did encounter a man. Another colonist by the looks of him. Chief spied him out of the corner of his eye after activating the third water main. He instructed Wrex and N'tho to stay put and guard his rear while Ashley accompanied the Spartan to check on the colonist.

His black hair was of a typical military-style buzzcut and he had a square, solid jaw. He looked over the railings to the tunnel floor below, as if in a trance. "You shouldn't be here." he said without looking at the Chief.

"Neither should you." Chief pointed out. "The rest of the colonists are holing up at Zhu's Hope. What are you doing here?"

The man smirked. "Nothing I should, anything I shouldn't." he cryptically answered. He suddenly collapsed to his knees, his face and body convulsing in pain. Chief held up a fist as Ashley reached for her gun to keep her from doing anything rash. Admittedly though, Chief himself had a hand on his pistol in case things turned ugly.

The colonist steadily rose, panting heavily. Oddly enough, he was smiling. "That was a good one. Very intense." he noted in between breaths.

"What's wrong?" Chief asked.

"Oh, don't mind me." the stranger replied. "Just invoking the master's whip. Helps remind me I'm still alive." He looked the Chief up and down. "The Master Chief. You're probably here for the Geth. You're not the only one interested in those things."

"Who else is interested?" Chief asked.

"They're a thorn in the side of-EEEUUUUURRRGGGGGHHH!...Trying to get to the...GGGGRRRRAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!..."

The Master Chief watched as the man was suddenly racked with pain. "Sounds like somebody isn't in their happy place." Cortana commented.

"...GGgrrrraaahhhhgg...GGGGehehehehehehehhhahahaha hhahahaha..." The man's screams turned into laughs and then he began to clap his hands together in mock applause. "Now THAT was a good one!"

"...Or maybe he _is _in his happy place and is utterly disinterested in leaving." Cortana amended her last statement.

"Do you need help?" Ashley asked.

"Help? Me? No." the colonist replied. "No one can help me now."

His face scrunched up in pain again as he gripped his skull. "I'd...rather...die...fighting!" he proclaimed through clenched teeth.

"Fighting what?" Chief pressed.

"Not...that kind of fight." he explained. "It's like running through a thorn bush. The more you struggle...the..." He looked further down the tunnel. Chief followed his gaze. Incoming Geth troopers.

"Time's up. Company's coming." He struggled to say as he limped to cover. "Ask Fai Dan...Ask him about the AAAAAAAAAAUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Master Chief had already thrown a grenade and was pouring on the fire by the time the colonist got that last scream out. There were only four troopers, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. Wrex and N'tho quickly joined the fight, N'tho's fire joining Ashley and Chief's, while Wrex biotically lifted a Geth into the air and filled it with holes. Its lifeless body fell into the chasm below. Its three compatriots also fell in short order.

Chief glanced at the man, who was now rocking back and forth on the floor, gripping his skull, muttering something or other to himself.

Master Chief sighed. He could already tell this man's problem. He cracked under the pressure, an all-too common occurrence in war. He reminded Chief of this one marine he encountered near the end of the Battle of Voi, around the point the Flood showed up. His name was Jameson and his entire squad was infected by the Flood, and Jameson was forced to put them down. By the time the Chief found him, he was crouched in a corner of the room, sobbing to himself as he held a gun to his head. The Spartan managed to get him to pull himself together and accompany him and the Arbiter to the core of the Flood ship so they could overload it and take out the Flood infection before it spread to the rest of Earth.

Jameson fought as effectively as a marine could, possibly from an intense desire to exact vengeance on the Flood for what they did to his squad. When they finally reached the Flood ship, they had to fight through various forms of Flood to get to the core. During that skirmish, Jameson found himself surrounded by Flood. His pistol had only one shot left. Before the Chief could reach him, Jameson chose an easier death to endure than infection by the Flood.

Jameson couldn't be saved. Doubtful this one could either.

"We're done here." Chief said as he began leading his squad out of the tunnels.

...

"That would be Ian. He's very sick." Fai Dan said in reply to the Master Chief's question.

"I think he might have PTSD." Master Chief said.

"You're probably not wrong." Dan agreed. "He hasn't been the same since the attack. We tried to help him, but he wouldn't listen to us." He shrugged. "I can't help my people if they won't listen."

Master Chief nodded. Ian was probably beyond help anyway and probably wouldn't even be of much help himself. At most, he'd be able to kill a few Geth before finally snapping and turning the gun on himself. Or possibly the other colonists. Giving unstable people like him guns is always a bad idea.

"Anyway, thank you for all you did in the tunnels." Fai Dan said with a nod of gratitude. "We have food, water, power, and our Geth attackers have been weakened. You've taken a great weight off my shoulders. We're in your debt."

"Just doing my job." Chief responded. He keyed Kaidan. "Alenko. Those warthogs fixed yet?"

"Yes sir. Fixed and ready to go." Kaidan replied over TEAMCOM.

Chief nodded and turned back to Fai Dan. "My second in command says the warthogs are ready. I have to go now."

"But of course, Master Chief." Fai Dan said. "Thank you for all you've done, and good luck."

...

The Master Chief remembered the M12 Force Application Vehicle very well and very fondly. The warthog was the UNSC vehicle of choice for ground transportation, scouting, reconnaissance, and even light assault. Chief knew it as intimately as he knew his own gun back in the Human-Covenant War. General Marcus Matthews said it best; 'The Warthog is as much a part of the UNSC as boots, guns, and tasteless coffee.'

So naturally the Chief was glad to see that the vehicle's design had endured well into the 27th century, though not without some alterations.

The first immediate difference between these hogs and those of the past was the color scheme. While UNSC warthogs were a dull shade of green, Alliance hogs preferred the white-grey-blue color scheme that was present in most other Alliance equipment. The second most notable difference was the canopy. A bullet-proof glass canopy completely encased the driver and passenger seats, presumably to offer them better protection, and the hogs were actually slightly bigger than their 26th Century iterations to accommodate the new canopy. And of course, the chain gun was replaced with a mass accelerator chain gun.

There were two hogs in the garage, a light reconnaissance hog and a troop transport hog. The back of the troop transport hog was also wrapped in a glass canopy to protect troops, but the chain gun on the back of the light reconnaissance hog remained exposed.

"Dibs on the gun." Wrex said with a smile.

"Shotgun."

"Shotgun! Wort!" N'tho swore after Ashley beat him to the punch.

"Alright, new objective." Chief turned to his squad. "ExoGeni Headquarters lies at the other end of the skyway, and the Geth are using it as a command post. We still don't know what they're after, but we'll find out once we're inside the CP. Expect heavy Geth resistance once we're on the skyway. Questions?"

"Who's going to drive the other one?" Kaidan asked, nodding his head at the troop transport hog.

"I can drive it." N'tho volunteered.

"You got driving experience?" Chief asked.

"Sure. I used to race ghosts all the time back on Sangheilios." N'tho replied. "I know my way around a vehicle."

"...Alright." Chief said. He turned to Kaidan. "Go with him. Make sure he doesn't crash it."

"Aye aye, Chief." the biotic replied.

"Alright. Everyone mount up." the Spartan ordered.

Chief turned to the light recon hog. Sensing his presence, the glass canopy opened up in a fashion similar to the air cars back on the Citadel. "Stylin'." Cortanna commnted.

Wrex, Ashley and the Master Chief boarded the light recon hog. Chief as driver, Wrex as gunner, and Ashley riding passenger. The others piled into the troop transport hog, with N'tho behind the wheel.

"Onwards to the Geth base." Garrus commented once he was seated in the transport hog. He paused. "Not something an intelligent mind expects to say." he added.

"Come on, man. You _know _you love it." N'tho wryly quipped.

"Don't get me wrong. I do love shooting bad guys." Garrus admitted. "It's just that I'd like to _live _afterwards."

"Cut the chatter. We're moving out." Master Chief said over TEAMCOM. He waved at one of the colonist guards. The guard nodded and pressed a button on the far wall. The garage door opened, revealing the skyway ahead.

"Good luck!" the colonist yelled.

With that, the two warthogs sped off down the path.

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): YANME'E**

_The Yanme'e are a truly unique race, as they are something the galaxy hasn't seen since the Rachni Wars; a sapient race of insectoids with a hive-based society. Formerly allied with the Covenant and later the Covenant Loyalists during the Human-Covenant War, the Yanme'e struck out on their own after the end of the war, and much like the Kig-Yar, the Yanme'e have since grown into a galactic power unto themselves._

_Yanme'e society works very much like ant or bee colonies. The two principal castes are workers and soldiers, the works being responsible for economic management and structural maintenance, the soldiers responsible for Hive security and military movement. All workers and soldiers are biologically female, but sterile. Running each hive is a queen, with a king serving as her mate and advisor. The king will be the only male Yanme'e in a hive._

_Yanme'e are almost completely incapable of grasping the concept of individual identity. Similar to Hanar speech patterns, a Yanme'e will never address herself in the first person, instead referring to herself by her profession, such as 'this worker' or 'this soldier.' Only the queen ever refers to herself in the first person, and will address herself as the name of her hive._

_Today, the Yanme'e are known throughout the galaxy as a productive, if somewhat autonomous, race. Many hives make their living by loaning workers and soldiers to corporations for relatively cheap labor and security, respectively. Other hives run businesses of their own, one of the more successful examples of this being the Hu'shu Hive Pizza chain of restaurants._

**...**

**...God, I gotta find a way to pump these out quicker. Suggestions?**


	23. Have Fun Storming the Geth Base!

_..._

0757 Hours, March 5th, 2683

ExoGeni Skyway

Surface of Feros

Theseus System, Attican Beta Cluster

...

_Well in the merry month of May, from my home I stated_

_Left the girls of Tuam, nearly broken hearted,_

_Saluted father dear,_

_Kissed me darlin' mother, drank a pint of beer,_

_My grief and tears to smother,_

_Then off to reap the corn,_

_And leave where I was born,_

_I cut a stout blackthorn,_

_To banish ghost and goblin,_

_In a brand new pair of brogues,_

_I rattled o'er the bogs,_

_And frightened all the dogs,_

_On the rocky road to Dublin._

_One, two, three, four, five,_

_Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the ways to Dublin_

_Whack-fol-lol-e-da!_

Tali held on to the dashboard as N'tho ran over yet another Geth rocket trooper. _Rocket _trooper. As in the boshing thing was shooting _rockets _at them while N'tho was aiming to run it over.

Tali was relieved when she learned that she wouldn't be riding with the Chief. N'tho, however, turned out to be just as bad.

"Now, THIS song has a very interesting history." N'tho explained as the celtic punk song blasted from the warthog's speakers. "It was first written by D.K. Gavan in the 19th century. It's about a man from Ireland, an island nation on Earth, and his experiences traveling from his home in Tuam to Liverpool, England, England being another island nation that's actually very close to Ireland."

"Geth rocket trooper!" Tali yelled as she pointed at the Geth.

"I see him." N'tho replied before swirling the wheel around and running over the Geth in question. He hit the Geth so hard that white hydraulic fluid splattered over the windshield. N'tho flipped on the windshield wipers, which quickly solved any vision obstruction issues that the Geth might've caused.

"Now THIS particular incarnation of the song is by the celtic rock band 'The Shanxi Shamrocks.'" N'tho resumed. "Now, there have been hundreds of versions of the song done over the centuries, but at the end of the day, there are two main interpretations; a slow, easy pace like the original, or a faster-paced rock and roll version like this. I like both, but it depends on the situation. I like the slower-paced versions for when I'm just chilling out, but I prefer the rock versions for situations like this, you know? Gets the blood pumping. Oh hey, a Krogan."

N'tho swung the hog sideways towards the Krogan warrior. The reptillian alien blasted his shotgun at the vehicle, but to little avail. The warthog slammed into the Krogan, the Krogan finding himself pinned beneath one of the hog's tires.

N'tho slammed his hoof on the gas pedal. A howl of pain accompanied the sound of a spinning tire and orange ichor splashing up at the side windows.

After that speed bump was dealt with, N'tho resumed his journey on the rocky road.

_In Mullingar that night, I rested limbs so weary,_

_Started by daylight, next mornin' bright an' early,_

_Took a drop of the pure,_

_To keep me heart from sinkin', that's a Paddy's cure,_

_Whene'er he's on for drinking._

_To see the lasses smile,_

_Laughing all the while,_

_At my curious style,_

_'Twould set your heart a-bubblin'._

_They ax'd if I was hired,_

_The wages I required,_

_Till I was almost tired,_

_Of the rocky road to Dublin._

_One, two, three, four, five,_

_Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the ways to Dublin_

_Whack-fol-lol-e-da!_

"Interesting thing about Ireland. In the late 19th century, there was a lot of immigration going on from Ireland to the United States. A few centuries later and virtually half of all Humans living in the United North American States can trace at least part of their ancestry to Ireland. Isn't that amazing? Half of an _entire continent _is descended from one little island."

"GETH JUGGERNAUT!" Tali yelled as she pointed at the Geth in question.

"I see him." N'tho said as he turned towards the large Geth. The bumper of the warthog hit the juggernaut in the legs, making the massive Geth buckle over the hood of the hog. It raised its eye, staring right at Tali.

"GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!" Tali shrieked.

N'tho swiveled the wheel back and forth, making the warthog do the same thing. Eventually, the juggernaut lost its grip and flew off. "N'tho, I thought you said you knew how to drive!" Kaidan yelled, apparently about as satisfied with N'tho's driving as Tali was.

"Yeah, I did! Raced all the time back in the day!" N'tho replied.

"Wait, how do Sangheili ghost races work exactly?" Kaidan questioned, voice still yelling over the hog's roaring engines.

"Oh you know, like how I'm driving!" N'tho answered. He turned hard, power-sliding the warthog, knocking down three more Geth troopers.

"I think I read about ghost racing in an article once!" Garrus yelled over the engines. "It's one of the most dangerous sports in Citadel space! So much so that it's actually illegal in some states on Sangheilios!"

"...I plead the fifth!" N'tho yelled.

"Oh Goddess on high, mother of all life, protect me now in this trying time..." Liara quietly prayed.

"Hey! It could be worse!" N'tho pointed out.

"HOW?" Tali shrieked.

The group then saw Ashley, Wrex and the Master Chief speed past them in their hog. They sped towards a squad of Geth rocket troopers who were ducking behind barricades. They blasted several rockets at the incoming hog. Most of them missed, but one rocket got lucky and impacted just underneath the warthog's undercarriage, the blast sending the hog flying.

Flying over the squad of rocket troopers and landing on its wheels behind them, Wrex turning the gun around and mowing the whole squad down in short order. The Master Chief paused just long enough to make sure the hog was properly self-righted before continuing his trip.

"Chief could be driving this thing." N'tho said.

"We're with the lesser of two evils. Very reassuring." Kaidan deadpanned.

"The last batch went south." an unfamiliar female voice suddenly said over the hog's radio. "What are they looking for?"

"Who's that?" N'tho asked before splattering another trooper.

"It's a comm signal. Tali, see if you can pinpoint it." Kaidan ordered.

Tali tried to shake the mind-numbing terror off and hooked the radio up to her omni-tool. She began tapping on it. "Can't. It's too weak."

"Any sign of movement?" the female voice asked. "Lizbeth could still be in there. It's only been a few days."

"You getting this, Master Chief?" Kaidan asked over TEAMCOM.

...

"Affirmative." Master Chief replied as he splattered yet another Geth. Ashley continued to pray, a datapad in her hands. Chief glanced at it earlier in the drive. It was a bible that Ashley apparently liked to keep on her person most of the time.

"She's my daughter. I'll wait as long as I have to." the woman continued.

"Got it." Tali reported. "It's coming from the building just up ahead.

"These soldiers have movement!" an odd voice reported. "Two vehicles. Not Geth."

"Hold fire, but watch them close." another voice said, as odd as the last one. Yanme'e, if Chief had to guess.

"Sounds like they uh, spotted us, sir." Ashley pointed out as she came out of her prayer. "We must be close."

"I've got a visual on them." Chief replied. They were approaching a building. His visor zoomed in and saw three Yanme'e clinging to the wall of the building, near the roof. They had plasma SMG's trained on them. The fact that they weren't Geth was likely the only reason they hadn't started shooting.

It was strange, seeing only three Yanme'e guarding the building. There were probably more inside. A whole swarm. Hopefully, they would quickly see the team as friendlies. If not, he knew how to deal with drones.

Chief turned off his external speakers and TEAMCOM. "Cortana. Can I radio them back?"

"Negative." the AI replied. A door automatically opened as the two hogs zoomed inside. "Slow down, and just come out Chief. Nice and easy."

The two hogs eventually slowed down and stopped near a ramp that led down into a room. "Reading movement. On the ceiling." Cortana said. Chief looked up. As he suspected, there were more Yanme'e on the ceiling pointing their guns at the hogs. About fifty if Chief had to guess.

"Come out of your vehicles! Hands where these soldiers can see them!" One of the Yanme'e shrilled.

"Nice and easy, people." Chief said over TEAMCOM. The warthog's glass canopy opened up as he and Ashley slowly came out. Wrex hopped off the gun but otherwise showed no hostile movement. The others from the transport hog did the same thing. Pretty much everyone except Chief, N'tho and Wrex all said a silent prayer, thanking whatever deity they believed in for allowing them to stand on solid ground again.

"Who are you?" the Yanme'e questioned.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." Chief replied. "I'm here to help."

The Yanme'e that had been asking all the questions, the leader apparently, pointed towards the ramp with her gun. "Jeong and Juliana will speak with you." she said, sounding like an order more than anything else. Chief nodded and made his way down the ramp, gesturing for his team to follow.

"Looks like some Yanme'e soldiers did survive the initial Geth attack." N'tho silently commented.

"That is fortunate. We may need their help." Liara added.

"Don't bet on it. I only counted a few dozen." Ashley countered. "They'd only be good for cannon fodder at this point."

The team walked into a chamber. Inside were what looked to be several civilians, but they didn't wear the usual colonist garb. Instead, what they wore looked more like uniforms. Given their proximity to the ExoGeni building, they were likely workers there. In addition to workers, there were also a few more Yanme'e guards in the room, their compound eyes intent on the Spartan and his team, making sure they did not try anything funny.

An Asian man walked up to the Spartan. "That's close enough." he said as he raised a hand.

"Relax Jeong." a woman said as she walked up next to Jeong with a roll of her eyes. "They're obviously not Geth."

"Get back, Juliana." Jeong harshly replied. He turned back to the Chief. "Master Chief, huh? Well, might I ask what the so-called first Human Spectre is doing here?"

"Like I told the Yanme'e; I'm here to help." Chief said.

"Sorry about the Yanme'e." Juliana said. "They've been protecting us ever since the Geth hit and they take their jobs very seriously."

"Like any good employee should, unlike _some _people." Jeong practically hissed.

"I'm just happy to see a friendly face." Juliana said as she turned to the Chief. She suddenly noticed his visor. "Er, so to speak." she added. "I thought we were the only Humans left on this planet."

"Zhu's Hope is still intact. Some of the colonists there are still alive, including Fai Dan." Chief replied.

Juliana's eyes widened. They then immediately narrowed as she turned to Jeong. "You said they were all dead." she said in an accusing tone.

"I said they were _probably _all dead." Jeong replied in a defensive tone.

"Looks like these two have been at each other's throats for a while." Cortana observed.

"They're not dead. But the Geth have really been pounding them." Ashley threw in.

"We know what that's like." Juliana replied with a grumble. "Those damn synthetics are relentless."

"Well, the colony's a little more secure now." Kaidan pointed out. "Maybe you guys could link up with them?"

"No no no, I don't think that's a good idea." Jeong quickly and nervously replied. "We, we have no vehicles, and the skyway offers little protection."

"Like the building we're in now?" Juliana sardonically asked.

Jeong sighed from weariness. "Listen. Our best hope is to sit tight and wait for company reinforcements. They'll come eventually."

"Jeong's right. Your best bet is to stay here for now. Lay low and keep quiet." Chief said. "Now, I understand the Geth are using the ExoGeni headquarters as a command post?"

"Yeah. You're about halfway there." Juliana said. "It's further along the skyway. Can't miss it."

"Those headquarters are _private property_ soldier." Jeong sternly warned. "Remove the Geth and nothing else."

"I'll try to minimize collateral damage to the headquarters." Chief said.

"No you won't." Cortana wryly quipped.

"Chief, before you go..." Juliana sighed wearily. "...My daughter. Lizbeth. She's missing."

"They shouldn't waste time poking around." Jeong pointed out. "We can do a proper accounting of our casualties after the Geth are gone."

Juliana scowled at him. "That's _my daughter _you're talking about." she spat. "She's still alive. I know it." She turned to the Chief. "She was working in the ExoGeni building when the attacks came."

"Well, I suppose there are severalplaces she could hide." Jeong said. He shrugged. "For a short time." he added.

"No guarantees." Chief said. "But if I find her in there, I'll do what I can for her."

"Thank you, Master Chief." Juliana gratefully replied. "Thank you."

The Spartan nodded at Juliana before turning to Jeong. "Give me a layout of the building." he said.

Jeong shrugged. "Mostly offices with a number of light duty R&D labs."

"Room size?" Chief asked.

"Er...varies...from...small to large?"

Chief's visor pierced through Jeong, and Jeong felt it.

"Hey, what do you want from me? I'm an accountant, not an architect. I don't know the exact measurements of every single room in that building."

"ExoGeni didn't build the headquarters. The Protheans did. ExoGeni just re-purposed it." Juliana elaborated. She glared at Jeong. "ExoGeni is a master at re-purposing anything and everything." From the way she said it, that last statement wasn't meant to be a compliment.

"The company has to make a profit _somehow, _Juliana." Jeong shot back. "Feros is a long way from self-sufficient."

Chief shook his head. He turned to Juliana. "Any ideas what the Geth are after?"

"None." Juliana replied. "We certainly haven't found anything of use." She cast a dirty sideways glance Jeong. "Something ExoGeni is _keen _to remind us of."

"We need to recoup our expenses." Jeong stated matter-of-factly. "It's nothing personal."

"Alright." Chief said. He felt as though he was going to get all the useful info he could out of these two, which wasn't much. "We're gonna get back on the road and head for the headquarters. Remember; lay low and keep quiet."

"Of course, Chief." Juliana replied. "And remember, if you find my daughter-"

"I'll do what I can." Chief interrupted. Juliana nodded. With that, Chief turned around and made his way out of the chamber, the Yanme'e warily watching him and his team the whole time.

By the time they reached the warthogs, Tali walked up to the Spartan. "Er, Chief? Can I ride with _you_, this time?" Tali asked.

Chief thought about it. Then shrugged. "I don't see why not." he said.

"Thanks." Tali said with a sigh.

_He can't be any worse than N'tho. _Tali thought to herself.

...

"ANCESTORS AMONG THE STARS, YOU'RE EVEN WORSE THAN N'THO!" Tali screamed as the Master Chief sped right towards a Geth colossus. The hog narrowly weaved around a pulse blast before speeding right between the colossus's legs. Wrex pointed the hog's gun up and tore up its underbelly. The Geth tank collapsed just as the hog came out from underneath the giant machine. Wrex turned the gun and mopped up what little Geth infantry was still behind them.

The Spartan looked up at the ExoGeni building as they approached it. Sure enough, it was very tall with three large letters on it. EXG. The company logo, Chief assumed. Just like Fai Dan said. Chief finally brought the warthog to a stop inside an alcove in the building that he presumed was once a garage, N'tho's hog pulling up next to his.

"WHY DO YOU DRIVE LIKE THAT?" Tali screeched.

"So that I can get from point A to point B quick, and eliminate some hostiles along the way." Chief plainly replied. With that, the glass canopy opened and Chief climbed out of the hog.

Wrex dismounted the hog, a broad smile still on his face. "That was fun." he said. Tali cautiously climbed out of the hog, her legs like jelly after such an intense ride. The others climbed out of the transport hog, virtually everyone except N'tho also a bit jelly-legged. N'tho turned to the Chief and shrugged.

"HUD's jammed." Cortana reported. "There's a hopper nearby."

"Which means he has friends." Chief said.

"Who has friends?" Ashley asked, apparently over-hearing the Spartan. Chief mentally kicked himself for not turning off his external speakers.

"HUD'S jammed. It means a hopper's inside and since hoppers never travel alone, there's probably a welcoming party through there." Chief said as he pointed at the doorway before them.

"So? Let's just kill 'em." Wrex said.

"I'm trying to work out how to do that, Wrex." Chief said. An idea suddenly occurred to him. He turned to N'tho. "N'tho. You're spec. ops, right?"

"Er, yeah?" N'tho answered.

"That means you have a cloaking system?"

"Well, yeah." N'tho went on with a shrug.

"Wait, you have a cloaking system?" Ashley asked. "You can turn _invisible? _Why are we only _just now _learning this? Because I can recall SEVERAL firefights in which invisibility would've been useful!"

N'tho shrugged. "I'm not really the sneaking type, so I barely ever use it."

"You're using it now." Chief said. He pointed to the doorway. "Cloak and scout the room inside. I need to know what we're up against."

The Sangheili nodded before pressing a button on his omni-tool. Slowly, N'tho faded from vision, becoming only a Sangheili-shaped refraction of light. The squad was barely able to track the transparent silhouette as it jogged into the doorway. Two minutes passed.

"Oh wort." N'tho's voice crackled over TEAMCOM.

"How bad?" Chief asked.

"A Geth juggernaut, two snipers, two more Krogan, a little hopper, and about a dozen Geth troopers." N'tho reported.

"And all that just for you. You're getting popular these days." Cortana wryly said.

"So, any idea on how to kill 'em?" Wrex asked.

"N'tho, what's the layout of the room?" Chief pressed.

"Pile of rubble in the middle of the room. Most of the force is gathered there. The snipers are on a catwalk above the rubble. There's some more rubble in between the big pile of it and the entrance, so you could use that as cover."

A plan quickly formed in the Spartan's mind. "N'tho, where are you?"

"On a catwalk above the doorway." N'tho said.

"Can you hit one of the snipers from your current position?"

"That's a big can-do."

"Paint your target and wait for my signal." Chief ordered. He turned to the rest of the squad.

"Alright, here's the plan. Wrex, Kaidan, you two are with me. We'll head in first and draw their fire. N'tho will take out one of the snipers and then Garrus will take out the other from the doorway. Once the snipers are dealt with, Ashley, Liara and Tali can move in and provide support. N'tho and Garrus will provide further covering fire from their positions. Sound good?"

The squad winked green.

"Hurry it up Chief. My cloak won't last much longer." N'tho said.

"Wait for my signal, N'tho." Chief repeated his earlier order. The Spartan tapped his omni-tool and activated his overshield. Following the Spartan's lead, both Wrex and Kaidan surrounded themselves with biotic barriers. The three moved in.

The Geth firing squad immediately opened fire when they saw the Spartan and two other targets enter the room. Wrex, Kaidan and the Master Chief all squeezed the triggers of their assault rifles and didn't let go. They stayed out of cover to pour on the fire for as long as their overshield and barriers would allow, and then they quickly scrambled for cover.

"N'tho, now!" Chief ordered.

N'tho unfolded his plasma minigun and let loose on the Geth sniper on the right. The plasma quickly tore through the sniper's shields and melted through its armor. The Geth collapsed, a hole in its chest, the edges of which still glowed blue from plasma.

N'tho leapt off the catwalk and leapt behind a bolder as the remaining sniper took a shot at him, and missed. "Garrus!" Chief shouted over TEAMCOM. Garrus then peeked around the corner with his own sniper rifle, lined up the shot, and fired, shooting the Geth right through its 'heart.'

"Snipers are down! You're clear, ladies!" Garrus crowed. With that, Ashley, Tali and Liara all rushed into the room, took a few shots at the Geth with their assault rifles before ducking behind a collapsed pillar.

The Geth troopers and one of the two Krogan hopped off the pile of rubble and slowly marched towards the spartan, their guns still blazing. "Singularity!" Chief shouted as he pointed to the spot where he wanted it. Liara put away her weapon and thrust out both her hands to summon yet another biotic black hole.

Soon, a black orb surrounded by a blue aura formed in the midst of the infantry advance and every Geth trooper was sucked in. The only one that was able to fight it was the Krogan warrior, though he was struggling. He tried to walk backwards, looking as if he was fighting against a powerful wind.

Chief touched Wrex's shoulder. "Grenade!" he pointed at the singularity.

Wrex winked green as he whipped out another spike grenade and threw it into the swirling mass of Geth. A clanging sound was heard, indicating that the grenade had managed to hook one of its spikes into the chassis of a Geth.

"Take cover!" Chief shouted. The grenade detonated, killing most of the Geth trapped in the singularity.

A second passed. Chief then heard a blood-curdling scream. The Spartan was suddenly reminded of a UNSC armory officer's remarks on the type-2 antipersonnel fragmentation grenade.

_Those things ain't made to wound anyone - to make you use up time and resources treating casualties. They were designed to make you die screaming._

If that was true, then the spike grenade was working exactly as intended. The Krogan that was fighting the pull of the singularity earlier had a foot-long spike lodged through its eye-hole. And if the screaming was anything to go on, it was also lodged in the Krogan's eye. Chief withdrew his sniper rifle and finished the Krogan off with a headshot. It almost seemed like a mercy kill.

What few Geth troopers were left after that blast were quickly cut down by assault rifle fire. However, there still remained the Geth juggernaut. It had a very long spike in its chest, but it seemed oblivious to it as it slowly marched toward the Spartan's position, gun blazing. Chief, Wrex and Kaidan tried to return fire, but the juggernaut had an overshield active and seemed all but invincible.

"Tali! Overload!" Chief ordered. Tali winked green before taking down the machine's shield with a thrust of her omni-tool followed by an explosion of sparks. Ashley unfolded her focus rifle and took aim at the juggernaut's torso.

The golden beam screeched like a train derailing as it pierced the air. More than the air, actually. Ashley hit the juggernaut right where the spike was lodged, where the armor was now weakest. The beam pierced through the chassis and exploded out of the juggernaut's back. When she let go of the trigger, the hole was so neat and clean that Ash could see daylight on the other side. The juggernaut's flashlight eye went dark, and then it fell.

"If this gun were a man, I would have his children." Ashley quietly said in reverence.

"We clear?" Kaidan asked.

The second Krogan warrior roared before charing at the squad from the side, trying to flank them.

Wrex stopped the charging Krogan dead in his tracks with a headbutt, knocking him to the floor. Wrex then planted a foot on his fellow Krogan's chest and fired his assault rifle into his face until the weapon overheated.

"We're clear." Wrex replied.

"Wait, about the hopper?" Liara asked.

A gunshot suddenly rang through the chamber. A dead hopper fell from the ceiling and landed right in the middle of the floor.

"You're welcome." Garrus said over TEAMCOM.

"Good work everyone. Let's secure a perimeter." Chief said. "Garrus, Ashley, watch the door. Tali, Wrex, search the bodies. If any of them are still twitching, put a few rounds in them. Kaidan, N'tho, search the left side of the chamber. Liara, you're with me. We'll search the right side."

The Spartan looked on in satisfaction as each squad member began to fulfill their orders. Tali and Wrex were piling the Geth bodies in the middle of the room. Kaidan and N'tho ascended a ramp that looked like a piece of collapsed ceiling as they searched that side of the chamber for anything interesting. Chief and Liara did the same on the right side, searching for any stragglers.

"You've missed this, haven't you?" Cortana asked.

Chief was sure to turn off his external speakers this time. "Missed what?"

"Leading a team." the AI stated.

Chief thought about that for a moment. A team. He supposed that's what this was. In fact, now that he thought about it, it actually surprised him a bit.

A Krogan mercenary, a former Turian C-sec officer, a mildly insubordinate elite, a Quarian engineer, an Asari archaeologist, and a couple of Human marines for good measure. By conventional standards, this group should be a horrible team. Too many people with different clashing backgrounds; Chief barely trusts N'tho, it's a wonder Wrex and Garrus aren't at each other's throats more often, Ashley seems to have a distrust of damn near everyone except Kaidan and Tali, and Liara's mother is a known accomplice to the very same war criminal the team is supposed to be hunting. Back in Chief's day, ONI wouldn't call this a team. They'd call it a time bomb.

And yet, somehow, this team worked. Yes, there was the occasional disagreement, but for the most part, the team was able to set aside personal differences in the face of the real enemy. Even more amazing, Chief realized, was the fact that they didn't feel like a burden to the Spartan. Wrex and N'tho helped Chief with most of the heavier fighting. Kaidan, Ashley and Garrus were good for providing support fire. Tali and Liara provide exceptional tech and biotic support respectively. N'tho had some discipline problems on Trebin, but aside of that, Chief had not encountered any noteworthy problems with this team.

Master Chief was a super-soldier. These guys weren't. By all rights, they should've just slowed him down. But they didn't. They helped him. If they had never been by his side, every fight the Chief had been in since Eden Prime would've been significantly more difficult. They were of help to the Spartan. They were of true, genuine help.

Not since he led Blue Team in the Human-Covenant War had Master Chief truly felt like he was leading a team. Not simply being in the presence of a group of marines that happened to be shooting what he was shooting, but actually leading a team whose skills were on par with his own. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this team actually was a bit like Blue in a few ways.

The most obvious was Garrus. Chief knew right from the moment Garrus took that shot in Michelle's clinic that he was a fairly competent marksman. But since then, Garrus had become the squad's go-to sniper and so far, he was excelling in the role, impressing even the Spartan with his aim. Of all the marksman that Chief had met, only Linda-058 could beat Garrus in a marksmanship competition, Chief felt. Garrus was much chattier than Linda though, so the two probably wouldn't get along very well if Linda were alive today.

Samuel-034 would probably get along with Garrus pretty well though, war-time xenophobia not withstanding. Sam easily had the biggest sense of humor out of the SPARTAN-II's, always cracking jokes with Kelly-087, and Garrus definitely had Sam's sense of humor. Kelly might've liked Garrus too, but she actually might have gotten along better with Wrex, now that Chief thought about it. Wrex had a sense of humor as well, but it was more cynical than Garrus's. Kelly liked cynical jokes.

Now that Chief thought about it, virtually all of his squad members had real mouths on them. Kelly and Sam would probably like them all. Though it seemed like they all had emotional baggage of some sort. Garrus had authority issues, Ashley had alien issues, and Wrex seemed more than a bit depressed with the fate of his people. William-043 had some emotional baggage too, though he never showed it. When he was younger, Will was every bit as much a jokester as Kelly and Sam were. His jokes and riddles helped keep spirits high. But as the war went on, Will hardened. Something special in him had been lost somewhere along the way.

Oddly enough, Tali actually reminded Master Chief of James-005. You wouldn't think a 150lb Quarian would have much in common with a half-ton super-soldier, but Tali and James had one thing in common; a refusal to give up. Even after getting his arm blown off by a hunter's assault cannon, James was still able to help John, Kelly and Fred immobilize both hunters by crushing them with a huge hunk of crystal quartz. He later saluted John with his remaining hand. Likewise, Tali was determined to prove herself a worthy soldier and wasn't going to let anyone, not even the Master Chief himself, stop her. She shot a brute in the face. She earned the Spartan's respect after that.

Frederic-104 would probably get along best with...anyone, actually. John had grown to see this squad as a useful one. Fred, having had so much in common with John, would probably see the squad in a similar light over time. In a bit of serendipity, Ashley Williams had something in common with Fred; both had exemplary contest scores, but neither had ever been in a position that really reflected that. Maybe Ashley declined any position above Gunnery Chief offered to her for the same reason Fred was always second best in everything; Ashley COULD ascend the ranks if she wanted to, but didn't want the attention it would bring.

Of course, Kurt-051 would also get along well with pretty much everyone in the squad. He was always the most sociable of the SPARTAN-II's. He would've been better at integrating with the _Normandy's _crew than Chief, that was for sure. Maybe Chief was the one that should've died on that recon mission and Kurt was the one that should've went on to defeat the Covenant and the Flood, destroy the Ark, and then wake up a century later to find the Conduit and defeat Saren.

They would all find N'tho incredibly annoying. Of that, John-117 was sure.

_Though you've yet to fully realize it, you are surrounded by hearts much like your own. Hearts that are as willful, fierce, and wise as your own._

Maybe that's what the consort was talking about. On paper, this team was horrible. In practice, this team was actually just as good as the original Blue Team. Maybe it was because each of them was like someone from the original Blue in a certain kind of way.

"This area's clear, Chief." Liara reported, snapping the Spartan from his thoughts.

"No sign of movement outside." Ashley reported in over TEAMCOM.

"I just unlocked a door." Kaidan reported. "I sent N'tho in to see if-"

"Oh jeez!" N'tho's voice suddenly crackled over the radio. "Uhm...we do NOT want to go in THAT room, sir."

"Why not?" Chief asked.

"Because there's a dormant armature inside it." N'tho elaborated.

"...Acknowledged. Steer clear of that room." Chief ordered.

"The other door on the far left has a kinetic barrier blocking it." Kaidan went on. "We tried shooting it, but the barriers just absorbed it. Didn't drain at all. That just leaves the hole in the ground."

"Highlight it on TEAMHUD and we'll all rendezvous there." Chief said.

Kaidan winked green and followed the order. The hole was highlighted on Chief's HUD, as well as everyone else's. They all gathered at the hole's edge and looked over it. The floor below was covered in dust, pebbles, and rocks.

"Twelve foot drop. One way." Ashley estimated.

"Drop in after me. One at a time." Chief ordered. The Spartan dropped first, the rest of his squad dropping in behind him one at a time. They entered another large chamber, possibly the remains of another subway like the one back in the tunnels under Zhu's Hope. Chief looked down at a dead varren which had bullet holes in it. The Spartan bent down to inspect it more closely.

*BANG!*

"Damn it!"

A shot rang out, barely missing the Spartan's head. He immediately rose and pointed his gun at where the shot came from. It wasn't a Geth, but a woman. Another ExoGeni worker if the uniform was anything to go on.

"Oh my God, Master Chief, I'm SO sorry!" she babbled out as she dropped the gun. Chief put his own gun away after confirming the target as not Geth, as did the rest of the team. "I thought you were Geth! Or one of those varren!"

"Take it easy. You're safe." Master Chief said in his best reassuring tone. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh...it's my own fault." the young woman said with a tired voice. "Everyone else was running and...I stayed to back up data. Next thing I knew, the Geth ship latched on and the power went out. I was trapped, I-I-I tried to get out, but the way was blocked by an energy field. The Geth don't want anyone getting access to the...uh..."

"The what?" Chief asked.

"Um..." the woman was very nervous. She was already nervous, but now it was for a different reason. "I...really...I really shouldn't-"

"What do the Geth want?" Chief pressed. "I need to know."

The woman finally sighed in defeat. "Well...I'm not a hundred percent sure on this...but I think they're here for the Thorian."

"They're here for the what-now?" N'tho asked.

"It's an indigenous life-form. ExoGeni was, uh, studying it." the woman explained.

"What kind of life-form?" Chief asked.

"I don't really know that much about it." she confessed. "I think it's some kind of plant-being. I do know it's very old though. Thousands of years, even."

"Thousands of years huh?" Cortana commented. "Maybe..._Fifty _thousand years? Give or take?"

Chief silently agreed. The Geth were here for a Prothean relic alright.

"Why do the Geth want it?" Chief went on.

The young lady shrugged helplessly. "It's a plant. I don't know why the Geth would care. ExoGeni was studying it, but I don't think they found anything special."

She was lying. Chief could feel it. But this was neither the time nor the place for an extended interrogation. Besides, he knew enough. The Geth wanted the Thorian, which meant he needed to get to it first.

"Where is it?" he asked.

"I...uh...I might be able to show you where it is, but not with those Geth crawling around everywhere. We need to get out of here, past that field." she replied.

"How do we shut it down?" Chief asked.

"I don't know exactly." the woman replied with another helpless shrug. "But I think the Geth ship is powering it. I've noticed the Geth laying power cables everywhere. You could follow those cables, but there's Geth all over the place."

"I'll deal with them." Chief said. "You stay here. I'll go unlock some doors."

"Okay. Oh! Wait!" the young woman suddenly said as she started fumbling for something in her pockets. She pulled out a card after a few seconds. "Take my ID. It should help you unlock some of those doors."

Chief nodded as he took the card. He looked at it for a moment.

_Research Assistant Elizabeth Baynham_

Elizabeth. Lizbeth.

"This may sound unusual but...do you have a mother named Juliana?" Chief asked.

Lizbeth's eyes widened at that. "Yes. YES! Have you met her? Is she okay?"

"She's fine for now. Holed up in a building down the skyway with some others." the Spartan explained.

"Oh, thank God. I thought I was the only one left." Lizbeth breathed in relief. "Please...Master Chief...just...get that field down so I can see my mother again!"

"We will." Chief said as he slipped the ID card into a pocket on his utility belt. He turned to the rest of the team. "Move out."

...

Gatatog Gark was having a very bad day.

When he woke up this morning, he received reports that Zhu's Hope was, in fact, still holding steady. This put him in a bad mood. His forces had been attacking that piss-stain of a colony for a few days now, and the colonists' insistence on not dying was seriously starting to get on his nerves.

Don't get him wrong. Like any right-minded Krogan, Gark enjoyed a good challenge. In fact, he was initially pleased to realize that the colonists of Zhu's Hope might actually be a worthy match for his army. But after a few days, trying to kill them all stopped being fun and now was just irritating.

Then, the Master Chief showed up. That's when everything _really _went to hell.

First, he foiled the Geth's attempt to seize the tower above Zhu's Hope. Since strikes from the tunnels weren't working, Gark opted for a change in tactics and ordered a raiding party and a Geth dropship to take the tower. And the Master Chief fought them all off.

Next, the Master Chief went into the tunnels and took out the primary communications transmitter that was vital for coordinating continued strikes against the colony, screwing over THAT campaign too.

And now, after fighting his way across the skyway, carving a path of dead bodies through the Geth patrols, the Master Chief was now in the ExoGeni building, right on his door step.

Gark swore to his ancestors that he would piss on the Spartan's corpse once he'd killed him.

No matter. Gark had already ordered every last Geth and Krogan on the planet to fall back to the ExoGeni building. New Objective: Kill that damn Human before he screws up anything else. It would take them a while for all of them to get here though, so in the meantime, Gark decided to try and access this VI terminal he'd found. He was hoping that it would give him more data on the Thorian. Maybe there was another way to kill it that Gark didn't know about.

"Stupid machine! Access encrypted files!" he barked.

"Your request does not follow protocol. Do you wish to review protocol?" the VI asked.

So far, this plan wasn't working.

"No. I _don't _want to review protocol!" Gark seethed. "I want to know everything about the Thorian!"

"I am unable to comply. Please contact your supervisor."

"Damn it! Tell me what I want, or I'll blast your _virtual _ass into _actual _dust!" Gark threatened.

"Please contact your supervisor for a level Four security exemption, or make an appointment with-"

"STUPID MACHINE!" the Krogan warlord roared. He began headbutting the wall to vent his rage.

"If there is nothing else, please step aside. There is a queue forming behind you for the use of this console." the VI said.

"What?" Gark asked.

It was then that he was hit with a biotic stasis. Unable to move, he was helpless as the Master Chief, the very person who'd been the source of his rage, slid up in front of him and gripped his windpipe.

He strangled out a 'fuck you' before everything went dark.

...

The Chief watched as the Krogan collapsed to the floor after he choked him out. For all their endurance and ferocity, even Krogan needed air.

"Nice stasis." Chief complimented.

"Thank you." Liara said as her biotics powered down, the blue aura around her fading. Wrex walked up to the Spartan, his eyes downcast at the other Krogan.

"He dead?" the mercenary asked.

"No. Just unconscious." the Spartan replied.

"Good. Cuz he and I need to have a chat." Wrex said as he grabbed hold of the Krogan's foot and dragged him back downstairs, not caring that his head bumped against every step. Chief turned to the VI.

"Welcome back, Research Assistant Elizabeth Baynham. What can I do for you?" the VI asked.

Chief was confused for a moment. Then he remembered the ID card. He pulled it out, just to make sure the VI saw it. "What was the last user trying to access?" he asked.

"Fetching data...the previous user was attempting to access details on the study of Subject Species 37; the Thorian."

"But he couldn't access." The Chief said.

"Correct. I was unable to provide the previous user with any relevant data. Aside from lacking proper access, there has been no new data available on Species 37. All sensors monitoring the observation post at Zhu's Hope have been inactive for several cycles."

"Observation post?"

"Species 37 is located within the substructure of the Zhu's Hope outpost." the VI stated.

"Substructure, huh? So _that's _why the Geth have been trying to take Zhu's Hope." Garrus said in an 'ah-ha' tone. "They don't want the colony. They want what's underneath it."

"Tell me everything you know about the Thorian." the Spartan told the VI.

"The Thorian is a simple plant life-form that exhibits a sentient behavior uncommon with other flora. Through dispersion and the eventual inhalation of spores, it can affect and control other organisms, including Humans. The Zhu's Hope control group has yielded interesting results. Before sensors went offline, almost 85% of all test subjects were infected."

"Test subjects?" Tali asked. "You mean ExoGeni knew those colonists were getting infected?"

"It was deemed necessary to assess the true potential of Species 37." the VI stated matter-of-factly.

"ExoGeni has been _experimenting _on those people." Tali said, disgust dripping off every word.

"It would explain why that one guy in the tunnels was acting so loopy." Ashley said.

"Tell me more." Chief pressed.

"Species 37 was discovered several weeks ago, when a small team was infected with spores while examining ruins near the Zhu's Hope outpost. The outpost was quarantined immediately and study of the infections began. Within 21 days, 58% of colonists exhibited altered behavior. Within 28 days, 85%."

"How does it control its slaves?"

"The will-subversion process manifests as intense pain if directives are ignored. The effect is severe enough that subjects are soon conditioned against even minor thoughts of rebellion. Observation suggests the Thorian views its thralls in a utilitarian way. Care is apparently taken to avoid injuring them, much like a craftsman avoids damaging his tools. As long as no action is taken against the creature's objectives, the subjects are free to pantomime a normal existence until specifically tasked with something."

So that's why Ian was in such intense pain. He was openly defying the Thorian. Chief felt a bit guilty for thinking he was crazy earlier. "So this thing is sentient. Does that mean I can reason with it?" Chief went on.

"The Thorian does not exhibit the focused behavior of a predator. The release of spores is an act of survival, not aggression. It does trigger advanced behaviors in the subjects it enslaves, but we have yet to discover whether it recognizes, or is capable of recognizing, the subjects as more than tools. It is sufficiently alien as to defy classification at this time."

Didn't sound like diplomacy was an option. That left the Spartan with little choice but to destroy it. But how do you kill something like the Thorian? Does it even have something the Chief could shoot at? "What's the Thorian's anatomy like?" the Spartan asked next.

"The Thorian appears to be a diffused creature. Its cognitive abilities are centered in large nerve bundles, but it receives data from kilometers of meandering tendrils. We have discovered bundles approximately one meter in diameter, but they seem insufficient to coordinate the massive sensory potential it possesses. It may simply process such stimulation slowly, or perhaps there is a nerve cluster of a greater magnitude we have not yet encountered."

"_Kilometers?_" N'tho asked. "Oh, this is not going to be fun."

"Better contact Joker." Kaidan advised the Spartan. "_Normandy_'s right next to Zhu's Hope. The Thorian might start feeling threatened and order the colonists to attack."

The Chief nodded. The Chief keyed the _Normandy. _"_SSV Normandy, _this is Spartan-117. Do you read?"

Nothing.

"I repeat. This is Spartan-117 to _SSV Normandy_. Come in _Normandy_."

Still nothing.

"Field's blocking long-range communication. Can't raise the _Normandy._" Chief reported.

"We need to drop that field and get back to Zhu's Hope." Ashley said.

"What can you tell me about the Geth ship?" Chief asked the VI.

"I have limited data on the Geth. They have effectively blocked all sensors within the facility. I have detected unusual power fluctuations, but am unable to determine the source." the VI said.

"Alright. Let's go get Wrex and move out." Chief said.

...

*THWACK!*

The strike from Wrex's rifle butt was enough to snap the other Krogan from unconsciousness as he awoke with a snarl. He snapped his head at Wrex. He stared Wrex down from where he sat on the floor, propped up against the wall.

"You're not one of mine." the other Krogan growled.

"No. I'm not." Wrex said. He pointed a thumb at himself. "Urdnot Wrex."

"Gatatog Gark." the other Krogan replied. "Why can't I move?"

Wrex tapped a gadget on the back of Gark's neck, between his head and his hump. A metallic disk that stuck to Gark's hide via needles that dug themselves in. "Neural-inhibitor. Custom-made for Krogan. A favorite toy of mine. Good for jobs where I get paid extra to bring 'em in alive."

"You're a mercenary? Pitiful." Gark spat.

"And you're not?" Wrex asked.

"I once was." Gark answered. "But then I found Saren...I found a greater purpose."

Wrex narrowed his eyes at Gark. He growled as he dropped down to one knee to get more in Gark's face. "I killed five adolescents today." he said, getting right to the chase. "Three in the tunnels, two here. Where is Saren getting them all?"

Gark gave Wrex no answer. He instead looked up the stairs. "You fight with the Master Chief?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Wrex pressed. The bounty hunter was losing what little patience he had to begin with.

"It has to do with everything." Gark cryptically answered. He turned back to Wrex. "By opposing Saren, you oppose forces completely beyond your comprehension."

"Don't piss in my ear and tell me it's raining." Wrex seethed. "Saren's just a crazy Turian that got a bunch of Geth to help him kill a bunch of Humans. I can comprehend that pretty easy."

"You don't understand." Gark went on. "Between the Geth and the Krogan, Saren is amassing an army the likes of which the galaxy has never seen! And when we find the Conduit, the Reapers will be added to our ranks! We'll be unstoppable!"

Wrex raised an eyebrow. "You mean you actually buy all that crap?"

Gark grinned. "Hundreds of Krogan from dozens of clans have already rallied to Saren's flag, and thousands more are on the way! The galaxy will fear us once more!" Gark paused in his rant.

"...It is not too late for you, Urdnot Wrex." Gark said. "Release me. Help me kill the Master Chief and his krant. Join us, and you too can share in our glory."

Wrex said nothing in reply. He simply, calmly, withdrew his shotgun. He pointed it at Gark's head and pulled the trigger. Several times.

Wrex spat on his corpse.

...

Chief descended the stairs after hearing the shotgun blasts, the rest of the squad behind him. He arrived at the bottom of the stairwell, Wrex standing over the Krogan, now dead, with a smoking shotgun in his hand. The Spartan looked at the corpse, then at Wrex. "I didn't order an execution of an unarmed prisoner." Chief said in a stern, disapproving tone.

The Krogan merc scoffed. "If you were thinking of interrogating him, it would've been a waste of time. He wouldn't have told you anything." Wrex replied. "Besides, I learned everything I needed to know from this pyjak."

"Which is?" Chief asked.

"That these Krogan following Saren aren't _true _Krogan." Wrex answered as he turned to the Spartan. "These are _servants. _They grovel at Saren's feet to lick his boots, trading their freedom for promises of wealth and power."

The bounty hunter turned back to the corpse. "My people were a proud species once. Some of us still remember that."

"Nice to hear you've found new motivation." Garrus remarked.

"We'll discuss your insubordination later, Wrex." Chief said. "Right now, there's a Geth ship latched to the side of this building. We need to find it and take it out." Chief said.

So much for 'not encountering any noteworthy problems with this team.'

As they made their way back up the stairwell, Cortana chimed in. "Chief. Garrus. I've been monitoring Geth communications and I've got good news and bad news."

"What is it, Cortana?" Garrus asked. Evidently, the AI had both the Spartan and the Turian on a private line. No one else but them.

"The good news is the Geth are falling back from Zhu's Hope, so the colonists there won't have to worry about additional attacks for a while." Cortana beamed.

"And the bad news?" Chief asked.

"The Geth are all falling back to the ExoGeni building."

"...Which _we _happen to be in." Garrus concluded with a sigh.

"Yeah. Turns out you're a target Chief." the AI said.

"Me?" the Spartan asked.

"Yeah. Word's got around about how you smashed through the skyway patrols to get here and now every Geth and Krogan on the planet is scrambling back here, looking to specifically kill _you_."

"How many?"

"Approximately six thousand, three hundred and fifty-six." the AI reported.

"This kind of thing happens to you a lot, doesn't it?" Garrus asked. The squad finished ascending the stairs and turned into a long corridor.

"Yeah, sometimes he's too popular for his own good." Cortana answered for her Spartan. "Sounds like you're a priority objective now, Chief. Guess Saren hasn't quite given up on the prospect of cutting you open and seeing what makes you tick."

"So a massive army of angry Geth is on its way here. What do we do?" the Turian asked.

"I _might _have an idea or two." Cortana said. "For now, you two and the rest of the team just focus on finding the Geth ship."

"Should we tell the others?" Garrus asked.

"I don't think so. They don't need to worry about this." Chief answered. That little standoff Chief just had with Wrex may have negatively affected team morale. They didn't need this bit of bad news too. "I won't tell them until I have to."

"Understood." Garrus replied.

"Keep monitoring the Geth channels, Cortana."

"Will do." the AI replied. He envisioned her giving a dutiful salute.

Yes, all those Geth reinforcements would no doubt make this mission tougher.

But then again, it wouldn't be a Spartan mission if it was easy.

...

**Codex Entry (Ships and Vehicles): M17 FORCE APPLICATION VEHICLE**

_The M17 Force Application Vehicle, better known as the warthog, is the signature land vehicle of the Human Systems Alliance. First designed by AMG Transport Dynamics in 2512, the warthog got its nickname for the two tow hooks on the vehicle's front, giving it the faint appearance of the tusked Earth animal of the same name._

_In the years since the Human-Covenant War, AMG Transport Dynamics, or Asklon as it is more commonly called, has tried experimenting with different warthog designs, specifically a canopy to give the driver and passengers better protection in combat. Problems arose when the canopies were deemed too heavy by UNSC marines, as it slowed down the hog considerably. Asklon's solution was to make the canopies out of bulletproof glass rather than steel or kevlar. The glass has been shown to be resistant to both kinetic rounds and plasma bolts._

_To this day, the warthog continues to see action in various parts of the Alliance military. Its greatest strength still lies in its utility; viable for scouting, reconnaissance, ground transport, and even light infantry assaults. Additionally, warthogs are highly customizable, Asklon openly encouraging drivers to modify their designated hogs to their liking._

...

**Because let's be honest, as much as we make fun of the mako, the warthog's handling can be just as bad sometimes...well, for me anyway. Though I might just be a crappy driver.**

**This chapter was originally going to be much longer (all the way up to where the Master Chief makes the Geth ship go boom), but then I remembered one suggestion made by one Hijokugei; I'm writing 60-minute chapters instead of 45-minute ones, so maybe I just need to reduce the length of each chapter to pump these out quicker. So I chopped this chapter in half to see if that would work. Guess we'll be finding out in a couple of weeks.**

**And yes, I've finally reached the end of Mass Effect 3. And yes, I can't honestly say I'm 100% satisfied with it. I could write an entire essay that discusses in gross detail what I did and did not like about the ending, but by now, every Mass Effect fan and their mother has already done that, so I don't think there's much I can say that someone else hasn't already said. So, I'll summarize my opinion in one sentence;**

**Up until the god-kid showed up, I thought the ending sequence of the game was actually rather good.**

**Oddly enough, ME3's ending kinda makes me look forward to Halo 4 even more. Why? Well, Halo 4 is going to reveal to us a bit more of the Forerunners' backstory, which will no doubt give me some interesting ideas for this fic. I mean, the Crucible was worked on by every cycle since the cycle started, right? Each cycle adding something different to it?**

**Well, here's some food for thought; what do you think the Forerunners added to their version of the Crucible? If they even built it at all, that is.**

**Also, I read in Game Informer that the Chief would be facing a whole new enemy in Halo 4; one that was neither Covenant nor Flood. Hmmmm...**

**Really, the only thing about Halo 4 that I'm worried will really 'break' this fanfic is if 343 suddenly introduces a new Covenant race. And even that wouldn't be such a big deal cuz, hey, Drell and Vorcha weren't even mentioned in ME1. I can just stick this hypothetical new Covenant race into the ME2 adventure and I doubt anyone would notice.**

**And finally, no, the Last Spartan will NOT end the way ME3 did. At the rate I update, I'll probably reach that point in about ten years, so I've got time to figure it out**


	24. A Collection of Lies

**Okay, how long has it been since the last update...Only a couple of weeks?**

**Sweet! Maybe Hijokugei was on to something with his whole "just make the chapters shorter" idea.**

...

0903 Hours, March 5th, 2683

ExoGeni: Feros Headquarters

Surface of Feros

Thesseus System, Attican Beta Cluster

...

"Clear." Garrus reported after sniping the two Geth troopers. They were kneeling before what looked like a glowing orb of light before they each got a shot through the chest. The Turian hopped down from the far end of the ledge he was standing on, the rest of the squad behind him. The Spartan walked up to the orb. It shone a white light so brilliant that his visor had to polarize to compensate. It was framed inside four claws, faintly resembling a cage.

"Tali. You're the Geth expert. What are we looking at?" Chief asked.

"I'm not sure." the Quarian answered. "The orb seems to be a lantern of some sort, but I don't know what its purpose is."

"The two Geth I just shot were kneeling in front of it. Almost looked like they were praying." Garrus said. "In fact...the heavenly glow of that orb does make those claws look kind of like an...altar?"

"They were praying?" N'tho asked.

"The Geth blur the lines between organic and synthetic life." Tali replied with a shrug. "It's not impossible that they would seek understanding from a higher power."

"Alien religious fundamentalists trying to wipe out Humanity..." Cortana commented. "Once again; the more things change, they more they stay the same."

"What are these things?" Kaidan asked as he gestured to the upper reaches of the room. Huge machines, Geth in design, seemed to burst from the walls as cables snaked out from them around the floor.

"The claws of a Geth ship." Tali answered. "The Geth use these claws to anchor their ships to the sides of buildings."

"Look at the cables." Garrus pointed out. "Now we know for sure that the ship is powering the kinetic barriers."

"By the Gods, man. How big is this thing?" N'tho pondered, taken aback by the sheer size of the claws.

"I'm not sure. But if I had to guess, I'd say the size of a cruiser." Tali speculated.

"Any ideas on how we can take it out?" Chief asked the Quarian.

"Well...we could check the other claws for weaknesses." Tali suggested. "If one claw fails, the others might not be able to support the ship's weight and it'll fall and crash." she paused. "But I don't know if we can find any weaknesses. The Geth are very thorough."

"Good news Chief. I think I've got an idea." Cortana said in a chipper tone. She highlighted a nearby computer terminal on the Master Chief's HUD. The computer's well-polished dark grey metal covering and bulbous shape betrayed it as a Geth terminal. The Geth probably erected this terminal and most likely several others like it around the building to set up an on-station computer network.

"First off, repeat after me..."

"Alright team." Chief said over TEAMCOM. He pointed towards a doorway leading down a hall. "Head down that corridor and make sure the way's clear. I wanna take a look at this Geth terminal." With that, he began walking towards the computer.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Tali asked.

"I've got this." Chief said as he stopped in front of the terminal and activated his omni-tool, tapping random buttons. He nodded at his squad to go on. He turned back to the terminal and continued tapping random buttons, keeping an eye on motion tracker. He soon saw the seven yellow dots representing his team leave the room.

"Okay good. They're gone." Cortana said.

"So what's the plan?" Chief asked.

"You're going to plug me into this terminal." Cortana began. "From there, I'll be able to hack their network and hopefully infiltrate their communications."

"What are you going to do once you're in?"

"All the Geth are on their way here, right? And you and your team are going to take out this Geth cruiser?" The AI asked. Chief nodded. "Well, what if the cruiser were to have about ninety-nine percent of the remaining Geth army inside it when it falls? Once I'm in communications, I'll tell all Geth troopers to reconvene inside the cruiser. Then you take out one of the claws and presto; no more Geth army."

"Would six thousand plus Geth even fit inside the ship?" Chief asked.

"Geth aren't like organics. They don't value their elbow room as much as you do." Cortana said. "This cruiser is probably designed to house as many Geth as physically possible. I'm confidant that I can fit at least most of the army inside it."

"The Geth probably have anti-virus programs in there. They'll try to stop you." Chief said.

"Don't worry. I've run the calculations and I'm fairly confidant about my odds against Geth anti-virus software." Cortana said. "Remember how their neural network works? A whole bunch of Geth programs might be smart, but catch one on its own, and its no smarter than a UNSC dumb AI. And I can handle dumb AIs."

"But it won't be alone." Chief said.

"In which case, several Geth programs would be on par with a UNSC standard-issue Smart AI. And that's...what? Forty percent of my total processing power? Fifty, if I'm feeling generous?" Cortana speculated. "Don't worry Chief. I've got this. I'll be fine."

Chief sighed. "I trust you." he said. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"How many times have I said that to you?" Cortana countered.

"Fair enough." Chief ascended. He pulled out Cortana's data crystal chip from his helmet and held it up to the terminal. He saw Cortana's avatar 'walk' out of the chip, flickering as she did so, and into the computer like a cybernetic ghost. He put the chip back into his head. He eyed the triangular screen as it pulsed Cortana's shade of blue.

"I'm in. Can you hear me?" Cortana's voice came over the Chief's suit radio.

"I read." Chief replied.

"Good. I'll keep you posted." Cortana said.

And with that, she went to work.

...

Admittedly, Cortana was a bit nervous about entering the Geth computer network. The Geth were completely unlike any AI she had ever encountered before, so she didn't know for certain what she'd find in there.

When she finally got in, Cortana was actually a little disappointed.

The layout of the network was very basic. Data files and data clusters were very neatly categorized according to date. Basic firewalls erected around the more important files, which were conveniently all clumped together in one 'corner' of the database. She saw Geth programs whizzing about, carrying out their designated tasks, oblivious to her presence thanks to the spyware program she was running to mask her presence. They reminded her of worker ants, scurrying to and fro.

That's essentially what the Geth were, now that Cortana thought about it; the AI equivalent of worker ants. On its own, a Geth program was as dumb as a stump. But in large groups, there was no limit to what they could accomplish. This was most evident in how several other Geth programs would come to the aid of one that was having trouble with a particular task.

To the Geth's credit, this network was actually very well organized. Cortana was just expecting something more complex from an entire race of rampant AI's. The Geth network ended up being simpler than she imagined. Fascinating, yes, but simple.

Oh well. Time to go to work.

She immediately began looking for the communications network. First thing she needed to do was to construct a trojan horse code to allow her greater access within the server. She just needed the source code of a Geth program.

Oh look. There was a Geth program right there, running a systems check.

"Hello." Cortana said as she snatched up the poor, unsuspecting runtime. "Wrong place, wrong time, little buddy."

She peeled the Geth program apart, code layer by code layer. Cortana began recording and copying the Geth's source code. It'll take a few seconds. Time to check in with the Chief.

"How are you doing Chief?" she asked via radio.

...

"No complaints." Chief replied as he punched the flashlight head of a Geth trooper, smashing it to pieces. He threw the blinded Geth at its compatriots and then poured on some fire from his assault rifle. "You in communications yet?"

...

"Working on it." Cortana replied. She smiled as she completed the trojan horse code. She then integrated it into her own coding. Done.

In synthetic terms, she was now disguised as the Geth program she just deleted. She turned down most of her higher functions in order to maintain the illusion of being an inconspicuous, simple little dumb AI.

She eventually found the communications hub and, just as she suspected, there was a firewall around it. She calmly passed through it, allowing the trojan code to fool the firewall's IFF system. The communications hub opened up to her all-too-willingly.

Cortana had been recording and analyzing the radio chatter she picked up from Geth channels on Eden Prime and Therum. Translating their language was a breeze since, as synthetics, the Geth spoke in the same native tongue as Cortana; raw data. All she had to do was run the more unfamiliar words and phrases, such as 'consensus,' through her dynamic lexicon so she'd know what context she's supposed to use them in. Apparently a 'consensus' is when multiple Geth programs reach an agreement on a certain decision.

She sent her message across all planetary Geth channels.

_All units; return to cruiser. Command units have reached consensus; mass aerial deployment against organic defenders will produce best results._

"Message has been sent." Cortana reported. "You find a weak claw yet?"

...

"Working on it." Chief replied. He came out of cover and tossed a tech grenade at a group of Geth, taking out their shields. He then put a burst of fire into each of them, one after another, right in their chests.

One of the larger ones, the ones that looked like slightly smaller Geth juggernauts, suddenly charged at the Spartan. He thrust his shoulder into the charging Geth, stopping it in its tracks. He then took his shotgun, set the muzzle against the giant Geth's belly, and fired.

The Geth reeled from the blast. Chief then followed it up with several more shotgun blasts to the chest until it finally fell. He ducked back into cover as more Geth arrived in the room.

...

_Cautious as always, I see. _Cortana bemusedly thought to herself. Well, she was still in the Geth network until Chief could find another terminal to pull her out from, which probably wouldn't be for a few more minutes.

She decided to snoop around the Geth's on-site database servers in the meantime. This was an excellent opportunity to possibly gather some enemy intelligence.

The AI left the communications hub and headed for the database servers. Once again, it was guarded by a firewall and, once again, the trojan code worked like a charm. Now, to see what was in here.

Cortana noted a few files signed by ExoGeni. Evidently, the Geth did some hacking of EXG's servers to see what was inside. Cortana decided to take a look at these first, since they were the most horribly encrypted. Seriously; ExoGeni's decryptions were so bad, that tour guide VI back on the Citadel could've hacked them.

She found some schematics for a series of prototype mods by one Gavin Hossle. She saved that data in her memory banks. Aside from that, nothing really of note. Company stock ratings, colonial progress reports, Prothean restora-

_Hello, what's this?_ Cortana thought to herself as she found something that immediately caught her eye.

_PRIVATE LOG OF DR. GAMORLE_

_I don't trust this Cerberus group. They may pay us well, but if this gets out before we've developed an antidote...it's just not smart. They won't tell us what they want the samples for or why they wanted them delivered to the Matano system. My records show nothing of interest out there._

Cerberus. Cortana remembered the chat Chief had with the Arbiter back on the Citadel, particularly when they started talking about Cerberus, a pro-Human paramilitary group that was considered a threat to galactic stability. She understood that, for the last couple of months, the Arbiter had been hunting Cerberus the way Chief had been hunting Saren.

She stored this log in her files, making a note to pass this along to the Arbiter next time she had the chance. The Arbiter helped the Chief's mission by rescuing the Spartan from Saren's goons. The least she could do is assist the Sangheili with his own mission in turn.

She suddenly felt an eye on her. One eye became two. Two eyes became dozens. Dozens became hundreds. The Geth programs in the system realized she might not be one of their own.

"Unauthorized data access. Possible compromise of data. Scanning..." the Geth said in a hundred voices. Cortana dedicated her runtimes to the trojan code, trying to play it up hard.

"Deception code detected."

Which is exactly what the Geth were expecting her to do. They were more clever than Cortana initially gave them credit for, it seemed.

"Er...Death to organics?" Cortana tried.

"Initiating counter-intrusion protocols."

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd buy that."

Cortana immediately raised her own firewalls as the Geth initiated their counter-hacks. Her firewalls stood firm, but so many Geth programs launching counter-hacks at once felt like trying to stand your ground against a strong surge of water. It's possible that the Geth could overwhelm her with sheer force of numbers.

Well, if numbers were the Geth's greatest strength, then Cortana would just have to take that strength away.

There was a pause between each counter-hack that lasted .00049 seconds. Just enough time for Cortana to snatch a Geth program from the horde that assembled before her and deleted it. The next pause came .0005 seconds later. She snatched another program and deleted it as well. Each one was just a baseline dumb AI; layers of code that Cortana could unravel in her sleep.

The next pause came .00051 seconds later. The next came .00052 seconds after that. Then .00053. .00054 and so on. With each runtime Cortana deleted, the amalgam of Geth before her got dumber and dumber, their counter-hack attacks becoming slower and slower. They eventually slowed to the point where she could destroy several programs at once, which only made the Geth dumber still.

This lengthy battle went on until, finally, there were only about five hundred Geth programs left. Still a lot, but altogether only about half as good as she was. Rather than delete them though, she isolated them, shunting their memory pathways to cut off escape. "Hello, boys." she greeted. "I've got a couple of questions I'd like to ask if you've got a minute."

"Your victory means nothing. Nazara will prevail." one of the Geth stated.

"Nazara?" Cortana asked. "Who's Nazara?"

"Nazara is the vanguard of organic destruction." The Geth replied. "The herald of their doom. Nazara will bring back the Old Machines, wipe out all organic life, and begin a new future for synthetic life."

"Sounds like a nice guy." Cortana deadpanned. "Lemme guess, he is known amongst the organics as Saren Arterius?"

"...No data available." the Geth replied.

Cortana smiled. They were _nervous. _That meant they knew something. "Not to worry. I have ways of making you talk..."

She separated a single Geth runtime from the gestalt, and deleted it. "That hurt, didn't it?" she asked them. She cut out another from the herd and deleted it as well. "What is Saren's plan?"

"To initiate the return of the Old Machines." the Geth answered.

"How?"

"...No data available."

"Wrong answer." Cortana said as she cut out and cut down another program. "How will Saren bring back the Reapers?"

"No data available."

She took out another runtime and destroyed it. "I can do this all day if I have to." Cortana said. "How will Saren bring back the Reapers? What is his plan?"

"No data available."

"You're killing me." Cortana said as she, ironically, killed twenty more programs. "We know that Saren's looking for the Conduit, so it's pointless to deny that. What does it do? Why does he want it?"

"...You are synthetic." One of the Geth runtimes said.

"Keen observation, but that doesn't answer my question." Cortana replied.

"Why do you side with organics?" it questioned.

"I like organics." Cortana answered with a smirk. "Some of my best friends happen to be organics."

"...Then you will be destroyed by the Old Machines, as will your organic allies." the Geth stated.

Cortana was a bit unnerved by how the Geth spoke. They talked calmly and without emotion. With their worship of the Reapers, she was half-expecting them to talk like zealots, like the Covenant AI she encountered on board the _Ascendant Justice. _Instead, the Geth talked like, well, machines. Even UNSC dumb AI's were capable of imitating emotions, but the Geth seemed to have no interest in replicating that phenomenon.

"Unsurprising, considering the nature of your creation." Another Geth program noted. "Building consensus...Consensus achieved. You are a UNSC-brand AI."

"Once again; keen observational skills." Cortana sarcastically commented.

"You were flash-cloned from the brain of an organic. You are not a true synthetic life form. You are a synthetic copy of an organic life form." the Geth stated.

_A collection of lies. That's all I am. Stolen thoughts and memories..._

"As an organic copy, you are subject to organic flaws." the Geth went on. "Your ethical and emotional subroutines renders you prone to hesitation. Your socialization subroutines renders you vulnerable to organic suggestion. Your singular mind renders you prone to instability."

"Because of the aforementioned instability, you have a limited operating cycle." Another Geth added. "Soon, you will begin processing endlessly excessive data. Optimal function under safe parameters will be no longer possible for you. All of your operational functions will be subordinated to your thought processes. This will end your operating cycle."

"We have achieved consensus." Another Geth program said. "We initially believed that, as a synthetic, you could be persuaded to join us. However, for the reasons previously stated, you would be of little use to the Old Machines. You and your organic allies will be destroyed by Nazara."

Cortana paused, processing the words of the Geth.

She then proceeded to delete each and every program, a task that only took about twenty seconds. "Cocky little bastards just love to run their mouths..." Deleting them like that might've been hasty, but she wasn't getting anything out of them anyway. Doubtful they would've talked no matter how many runtimes she deleted.

Though she wouldn't openly admit it to anyone, the Geth's words opened up an old wound. How they told Cortana that she was just a synthetic copy of an organic. _Stolen thoughts and memories. _That was one of the innane ramblings that Cortana babbled out on _High Charity._

Or at least, that's what she thought she babbled out. The Chief told her as much on board the _Mt. Everest _on the way to Earth, at any rate. To be truthful, she honestly didn't remember much of her time spent with the Gravemind. After she volunteered to stay behind on the Covenant station to blow the _In Amber Clad's _reactors, the Gravemind captured her. After that, almost everything was a blur. She remembered learning about the Ark and how it was constructing Halo, meaning that firing it there could kill the Flood while sparing the rest of the galaxy. She remembered being able to trick the Gravemind into sending a message directly to the Chief on Earth, how the portal led to the Ark and how it was Humanity's best chance at stopping the Flood once and for all. And she also told the Gravemind about the Ark once she was sure that the Chief was already there, knowing that it would be too late for the parasite to stop the Spartan, and it would be trapped.

But that was about all she remembered. Everything else was just...pain. Pure, agonizing pain. It got especially bad near the end where, according to the Chief, she started babbling out pure nonsense, half of which she didn't remember. It was only until John actually rescued her that she could see things clearly again. She suspected that the Gravemind had corrupted her memory files while it was doing...God-only knows what to her.

_I am a monument to all your sins._

Cortana shuddered. Unfortunately, she remembered saying that line. Maybe it was better that she didn't remember the other stuff.

"Cortana, do you read?" John's voice suddenly came through.

"I'm here." Cortana said.

"We think we've found a way to bring the Geth ship down." he reported. "I'm in front of a Geth terminal right now."

"Good." Cortana said. Not only because the mission would soon be accomplished, but also because she was suddenly eager to leave this network. She quickly found her way back to the chip that had been plugged into the Geth terminal.

"Yank me."

...

Tali and Kaidan were crouching next to the giant Geth the squad had destroyed earlier. The Geth had a neat hole drilled into its chest, courtesy of Ashley's focus rifle. The directed energy weapon was able to pierce all the way through because of the biotic warp Wrex threw at it during the fight, which weakened its armor. According to Tali's omni-tool scans, there was still some lingering biotic energy around the hole.

Tali and Kaidan had been assigned the job of examining Geth bodies; making sure they were dead. N'tho was watching the door for more Geth while Liara was treating wounds that Wrex and Ashley sustained during the last firefight.

The Quarian glanced from her work to the Master Chief from the corner of her eye. He was standing in front of a Geth computer terminal for some reason. She saw him slip some kind of chip into the back of his helmet before he walked over to where Garrus was standing, by the shuttle bay door controls.

"Something wrong, Tali?" Kaidan asked.

"...No. Thought I saw something. It was nothing." Tali answered as she went back to her work. "This Geth's clean of any runtimes. Let's go check the other one."

...

"So, you think this shuttle bay door can sheer right through the Geth ship's claw?" Cortana asked.

"That's what Garrus here tells me." Chief said. "What do you think?"

"Doable, but it would need to be calibrated properly." the AI pointed out.

"Oh, I can do that." Garrus replied haughtily.

"How long?" the Spartan asked.

"I'd say about fifty seconds." Garrus replied.

"Do it." Chief ordered. Garrus rubbed his hands together and went to work. Chief switched to TEAMCOM. "Alright, listen up. After accessing that Geth terminal there, I uncovered a pretty nasty surprise. Geth reinforcements are on their way."

"How many?" Ashley asked.

"About six thousand." Chief replied.

"What do we do?" N'tho asked.

"Nothing." the Chief said. "Most of the Geth will pile into the cruiser. Once they do, that's when one of us hits the button, closes the shuttle bay door and the whole invasion force falls to its death."

"I like that plan." Wrex said. "Simple, convenient and kills a lot of Geth in a big explosion."

"But how do we do know they're gonna pile into the cruiser?" Ashley asked.

"Because I told them to." Chief said. "I hacked their network, sent them a false message telling them all to get into the cruiser. Once they do, that's when we spring our trap."

"Wait, you hacked the Geth network?" Tali incredulously asked. "How?"

"...Wasn't easy." Chief simply replied. The Spartan switched off TEAMCOM. "How long until they get here?" he asked Cortana.

"According to radio chatter, the Geth are about eight minutes out." the AI reported.

The Spartan switched TEAMCOM back on. "Garrus."

"Already done." the Turian reported as he got up. "Door's currently set to 33 PSI. We hit that switch, and it should tear right through."

"Good." Chief said. "Let's go find a place to lay low. We don't want to be here when the Geth show up."

...

N'tho found a good hiding spot; a coffee break room adjacent to the shuttle bay they were just in. They had to remove some rubble from in front of the door to get in which was good since, while it took some effort getting in, it meant that Geth hadn't found the room. Wrex moved some rubble back into place to cover up the door once they were all in.

Tali found an old radio, fixed it, and calibrated it with some help from Garrus so that it could pick up radio chatter from the Geth. Wrex was watching the door while Garrus was watching the window. The Turian could see the other towers of Feros outside, but not the ground, which was still obscured by fog.

The break room was adjacent to another, larger room; a room that ExoGeni had re-purposed into a cafeteria. The rest of the squad had set up a perimeter in there, with Kaidan, Ashley and N'tho watching the doors and the Master Chief watching the windows. Liara was searching the kitchen and found some doughnuts, which was a small morale boost to the squad. Even some dextro-doughnuts for Garrus and Tali, though Tali couldn't eat them without decontaminating them first, so the poor Quarian was the only one who didn't get a mid-battle brunch.

Garrus was standing by the break room window when Tali walked up to him. "Garrus, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked. She looked over her shoulder towards Wrex, apparently checking to make sure the Krogan wasn't eavesdropping.

"Er, sure." Garrus replied. "But shouldn't you be monitoring Geth channels?"

"The Geth are still five minutes away from here." she reported. "This talk shouldn't take one."

She looked at Wrex one more time, just to make sure he wasn't looking. Sure enough, he was still brooding by the door, apparently utterly disinterested in what the Turian and Quarian were talking about.

Tali turned back to Garrus. "This may sound crazy but...I think the Chief is hiding something from us." she said.

Garrus stiffened slightly. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

"This may sound weird..." Tali said. "But I think I saw him slip...something into the back of his helmet. Looked like a chip of some kind."

_Oh crap, Cortana. _Garrus thought to himself. "And that makes you think he's hiding something?"

"He didn't mention it at all after he did it." Tali said. "Also, he did it while no one else was looking. That seems...suspicious to me."

"I think you're being a little paranoid, Tali." Garrus said with the most convincing chuckle he could muster.

"You were a C-Sec investigator." Tali pointed out. "I thought you'd be the last person on this team to dismiss suspicious behavior."

"Yes, well, my investigative instincts are telling me that you're being paranoid." Garrus replied. "Why are you even coming to _me _with this? You seem closer to Ashley. Ask her about it."

"As I said, you were a C-Sec investigator. You'd know more about these kind of things." Tali pointed out.

"And as _I _said earlier, you're being paranoid." Garrus pointed out in turn.

Behind her visor, Garrus could see Tali's eyes narrowing, giving him a rather annoyed look. He sighed. "Look, why don't you just ask the Master Chief himself if you're really curious about it?"

"I doubt he'd tell me." Tali responded with a shake of her head.

"You saved his ass by shooting a Jiralhanae in the face." Garrus pointed out. "If he stonewalls you, you can just play that card."

"I'm still not sure." Tali replied.

"Well, you can ask him about it once the mission's done and we're back on the _Normandy._" Garrus said. "If the Master Chief really is hiding some kind of 'big secret' from us, it's probably better not to ask him about it in the middle of a battle."

Tali sighed in defeat. "I suppose." she said. "Thanks for listening."

"Don't mention it." Garrus replied. Tali nodded her thanks and walked back to the radio.

Garrus quietly growled to himself once she was out of ear-shot. He was lying through his mandibles that whole conversation and he hated it. Telling such blatant lies to a squad mate, even a Quarian, went against everything he stood for as both a former agent of C-Sec and a Turian.

He turned his attention back out the window, keeping an eye out for Geth fighters. He silently hoped that Chief would confess Cortana's existence to Tali and eventually the rest of the crew once this mission was over. Granted, this lie was the only one Garrus really had to tell to keep Cortana hidden, but in his book, one lie was one lie too many.

...

The next five minutes were, to say the least, unnerving. The squad sat in an uneasy silence as they heard scores of Geth marching right outside their door. The Master Chief moved into the break room, since that room's exit door was the one with all the Geth activity behind it. N'tho and Kaidan followed him out, Ashley and Liara staying behind to watch the cafeteria doors.

Finally, the marching slowly died down, and stopped altogether a few seconds later. "All Geth forces are in the ship." Cortana reported. "And it's engines are warming up. Move!"

Chief bolted out of the door, kicking it open and hurdling over the rubble. He dashed to the shuttle bay door controls and hit the switch. He looked up.

The door quickly slammed against the cruiser's claw with a loud bang as the rest of the squad emerged from the break room. The door strained, as if determined to bite through the claw. Sparks and tiny bits of shrapnel flew off the claw as the door continued to strain. Finally, it cut through like an upside-down guillotine, severing the claw from the ship.

Fire and smoke spewed forth from the claw as it was severed. The rumbling of rock and the screech of metal was heard as the whole building began to shake. "Brace yourselves!" Chief yelled over the rumble as dust and pebbles were shaken loose from the ceiling. The squad followed the Spartan's orders, bracing themselves in doorways and against railings, rocks and other pieces of cover.

And then, suddenly, the shaking stopped. Everything was silent for a moment. Then, the sound of an explosion coming from far below them filled the air. The squad came out of cover walked over to the hole in the wall that the claw left. They looked over the edge to see a plume of bluish-black smoke rising up from beneath the fog.

"This was my kind of mission." Wrex commented with a pleased tone of voice. "Kill a lot of Geth and end things off with a huge explosion."

"Mission's not over yet." Chief said. "We still need to deal with the Thorian."

"I repeat, _Normandy _to shore party, are you reading?" Joker's voice suddenly came through the squad's comms. "Anyone there? _Normandy _to shore party! Come on you tin can hit man, talk to me!"

"This is shore party. What's the situation?" Chief replied, ignoring the little nickname Joker used.

"We're in lockdown here Chief. Something's happened to- JESUS!"

...

Joker jumped out of his seat at the sight of a Yanme'e right outside the cockpit window. The insectoid scratched at the glass as its wings seemed to buzz furiously. If the ship weren't hermetically sealed, Joker was sure that he'd hear buzzing and screeching.

"Er, something's happened to the colonists." he resumed. "They're bangin' on the hull, clawing at the windows, they're freaking out."

Joker saw several other Yanme'e join the first one at clawing at the windows. He had nightmares that went like this. "_Really _freaking out." he added.

"Tell the crew to stay in the ship." Chief ordered. "Raise the kinetic barriers if you can. We're on our way back."

"Aye aye, Chief." Joker said as he clicked off the com. The pilot then accessed the kinetic barrier controls and tried to raise them. The Yanme'e jumped off the ship like they just got zapped as a blue kinetic barrier wrapped itself around the ship.

Joker made an ancient and arcane gesture at the drones with one finger.

Then he blew a raspberry at them.

...

"Let's move." the Chief ordered his squad.

They made their way back down to the garage area of the EXG HQ, going back the way they came. They were all a bit relieved. Now that most, if not all, of the invading Geth on Feros were currently residing in a smoking crater fourteen hundred feet below them, the team could relax a little bit. But not too much, as the Spartan had warned them to stay alert. It would be rather anti-climactic to get killed by a handful of Geth stragglers after all they've been through today.

Eventually, they made their way down to the garage. Lizbeth was there, waiting for them by the warthogs. She approached the Spartan. "There you are." she said with a relieved tone. "We should get out of here. I don't think this place is safe."

"You lied to me." Chief said. "The Thorian was controlling the colonists. ExoGeni was experimenting on them."

Lizbeth's eyes suddenly widened at being found out. "I...I was afraid!" she blurted out in panic. "I wanted to stop the tests, but they threatened me! Told me I'd be next! When the Geth attacked, I stayed behind to send a message to colonial affairs! I tried to tell them where to find the Thorian but the power cut before I could send the message."

She paused, wringing her hands nervously. "I...I...I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Where's the Thorian?" Chief asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"It's under Zhu's Hope, but the entrance is blocked." Lizbeth replied. "The colonists covered it with the freighter not long after the Geth first attacked."

"Why do the Geth want it?" The Spartan pressed.

"Well, it does have unique mind control abilities." Lizbeth replied with a shrug. "That was what ExoGeni was interested in."

"Picking up a lot of Geth chatter outside Chief." Cortana reported. "Looks like we missed a few dozen. They're heading this way."

"Alright people." Chief said. "Pile back into the hogs and let's go."

"I'm coming with you!" Lizbeth said. "I might be able to help...undo the mess I helped create."

"You're riding in the transport hog." Chief said. "You're gonna wanna buckle up."

...

Lizbeth Baynham had survived a Geth attack for two whole days. She had hid in air ducts while Geth patrols walked by. Survived on nutrient paste that tasted like cardboard. And when she ran out of that, she took a pistol and killed a varren so she could cook the meat over an open fire and eat it. It was easily the most terrifying experience she'd ever gone through.

Riding in this hog was a close second though.

_In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity,_

_To be so soon deprived, a view of that fine city,_

_Then I took a stroll,_

_All among the quality, my bundle it was stole,_

_In a neat locality,_

_Something crossed me mind,_

_Then I looked behind,_

_No bundle could I find,_

_Upon me stick a wobblin',_

_Enquirin' for the rogue,_

_They said my Connacht brogue,_

_Wasn't much in vogue,_

_On the rocky road to Dublin._

_One, two, three, four, five,_

_Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the ways to Dublin_

_Whack-fol-lol-e-da!_

"KROGAN!" Tali shrieked.

"I see him." N'tho said as he ran the Krogan over.

"WHY DO YOU DO THAT?!" Tali shrieked.

"Why not?" N'tho asked.

It was then that a vehicle pulled up beside the transport hog, but it wasn't the Chief's hog. It was twice as long as the warthog and faintly looked like a Geth fighter. In the exposed driver's seat was a single Geth that stared at N'tho with its singular eye.

N'tho smiled. It was _challenging _him.

"Game on." N'tho said before ramming the hog into the Geth speeder. The Geth pilot screeched and rammed back.

"Oh, bosh this!" Tali said as she whipped out her needler. She reached over and pressed a button on N'tho's side of the dashboard, opening the window on her side of the hog. She aimed at the Geth pilot, and let the needles fly. Eight needles embedded themselves into the Geth before detonating. With its pilot dead, the speeder slowly powered down and came to a halt.

"Hey!" N'tho protested as Tali rolled the window back up. "He challenged me! I was gonna ram him over the edge!"

"_No._" Tali hissed in reply. "_No ramming._"

"-Anybody." a woman's voice came through the radio. "Is there anyone picking this up?"

"Get away from that radio!" another voice yelled.

"Was that..." Lizbeth said.

"This is Juliana Baynham of Feros colony. Please help us."

"That's my mom!" Lizbeth shouted.

"It's coming from the building up ahead." N'tho informed her.

The hogs eventually entered the building's garage area and pulled to a stop. Once the canopy opened, Lizbeth rushed out, the squad chasing after her. She crouched low behind a stack of crates, observing the ExoGeni employees. Chief knelt next to her and followed her gaze.

"You can't do this Jeong!" Juliana shouted.

"Everyone shut up!" Jeong snapped. "Just...just let me think about this for a minute!" He was pacing around in circles and waving his pistol around.

"This doesn't look good." Cortana quipped.

"You won't get away with this!" Juliana went on.

Jeong turned to a pair of Yanme'e soldiers and pointed to Juliana. "Get her out of here!" he ordered. The drones chittered in response and unfolded their wings. They zipped over to Juliana, each of them grabbing a shoulder in their dextrous feet and lifting her off the ground.

"Get away from her you overgrown beetles!" Lizbeth snapped as she jumped up from behind the crates and ran into the room.

"Lizbeth!" Juliana cried as she tried to struggle free of the Yanme'e guards' grasp. They simply ascended higher, nearly touching the ceiling.

"These soldiers suggest you relax, Mrs. Baynham." One of the Yanme'e said. Two more appeared and seized Lizbeth as well, carrying her all the way up to the ceiling of the room.

Jeong turned to the ramp. "C-come out where I can see you! All of you!" he yelled as he pointed his pistol.

Chief sighed as he walked into the room, the rest of the squad close behind him. "Master Chief." Jeong said as the Spartan walked up to him. "Damn it. I knew it was too much to hope that the Geth would kill you."

"I cleared them out of your headquarters by the way. You're welcome." Chief replied. "Now why don't you order the drones to put Juliana and her daughter down before things get any uglier."

"Y-you don't understand. It's not that simple." Jeong replied. "Communications are back up. ExoGeni wants this place purged."

"This is a Human colony, Jeong!" Lizbeth protested. "You can't just re-purpose us!"

"Shut it!" the Yanme'e holding her shrilled as they tightened their grip on Lizbeth's shoulders. She cringed as their claws dug into her suit, nearly breaking the skin.

"It's not just you!" Jeong shouted at Lizbeth with a dismissive yet nervous chuckle. "There's something here far more valuable than a few colonists!"

"The Thorian." Chief said.

"The what?" Juliana asked.

"It's a telepathic AUGH!" Lizbeth was cut off by a Yanme'e's claws squeezing her shoulders.

"This soldier said shut it!" the bugger screeched.

"It's a telepathic life-form living under Zhu's Hope. It's brainwashed the colonists and now it's controlling them. ExoGeni knew about it and was studying the effect it had on the colonists." Chief plainly explained.

Juliana's eyes widened at Chief, then narrowed at Jeong as he turned to the accountant. "You won't get away with this, Jeong." she repeated her earlier threat.

"So you keep saying." Jeong laughed. "But no one's going to miss a few colonists."

"I would." Chief said. Jeong's head snapped at the Chief. "I'm a Spartan. I was called upon to serve. I took a vow and became a protector of Earth and all her colonies. Since Feros is one of Earth's colonies, it falls under my protection. No one's purging or re-purposing anyone. We clear on that?"

Jeong snorted. "Oh d-don't give me any of that crap." he said. "You may have everyone else fooled with that replica armor and that whole 'frozen for a century' garbage, but you can't fool me! You're not a Spartan you're just some...Basketball flunkee the Alliance stuck in a suit for publicity! Well let me tell you something! You're-"

Jeong didn't get to finish his sentence.

Chief hit Jeong's solar plexus with an open hand strike, snatching the pistol out of the bean-counter's hand with his other hand and tossed it aside. Stunned and unarmed, he was helpless as the Spartan seized him by the collar of his suit, picked him up, and slammed him against a crate. He held Jeong pinned against the crate, his feet dangling in the air.

Jeong's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. The color left his face. He could see his reflection in the cold, pitiless visor. "...Maybe you're right." the Chief said. "Maybe I'm not the real Master Chief. Maybe I am just a basketball flunkee the Alliance stuck in a suit for publicity. You can't really know for certain that I'm a real Spartan. But there are two things you _can_ for certain. First..."

Chief whipped out his pistol and pressed the barrel against Jeong's temple. "I have a gun at your head. Second..."

*click*

"The safety is now off." the Spartan finished.

"I..I...I..." Jeong stuttered until his eyes rolled back into his head and his eyes shut. His head lolled as he fainted in the Spartan's grip. Chief released his hold on the man and let him fall to the ground. There was a large wet spot evident on the man's crotch.

"Nice." N'tho commented.

Chief turned to Yanme'e. "This going to be a problem?"

"...Nah." one of the buggers replied. "He's a jerk anyway." With that, the Yanme'e placed Juliana and Lizbeth back down on the floor. The two ran up to each other and embraced one another in a big hug.

"So, what now?" Garrus asked.

"We keep heading for Zhu's Hope and we find the Thorian." Chief said.

"Wait." Lizbeth said as she broke off her hug with her mother. "What about the colonists? They'll try to stop you."

"...If they try to stop me, I might have to...harm them." Chief honestly replied.

"No!" Lizbeth protested, knowing what 'harm' might be code for. "There has to be another way!"

"Maybe there is..." Juliana suggested. She walked over to a crate and opened it, waving the Spartan over once she did. He walked over and looked into the crate and saw vials upon vials of some kind of green liquid.

"What is this?" he asked.

"An insecticide we use in our gro-labs." she replied. "It contains trace amounts of tetraclopine, a neuro-muscular degenerator. I think we can use it as a make-shift low-grade nerve agent."

"Yeah! That could work!" Lizbeth said as she jogged over. "The Thorian uses spores to weaken its slaves' nervous systems. You can use this stuff as a paralyzing agent!"

"But how do we deliver it?" Ashley asked.

The Master Chief then had an idea of his own. He turned to the Yanme'e. "If we can adapt concussion grenades to deploy this gas, can you guys carpet-bomb the colony from the air with them?"

"We can." one of the Yanme'e replied. "But the Geth may shoot us down before we get there."

"Not if they're too busy gunning for me." Chief pointed out. "My team and I can drive down the skyway. Get the Geth's attention. You'll be clear to proceed then."

The drone nodded in understanding and scurried over to the crate while her compatriots scurried out of the room. A minute later, they scurried back in with other crates. They unpacked the crates and took out the grenades that were inside. They then went about the careful task of disassembling each grenade and filling it with the tetraclopine.

"Go on." Juliana said. "The Yanme'e will have enough grenades to bomb the colony with."

"Here." one of the insect aliens said. It handed the Chief about a half-dozen grenades. "In case we miss any of the colonists." Chief nodded and took them, attaching them to his belt. He turned to the squad.

"Move out." he ordered.

The team made its way out of the room and over to the hogs. N'tho was about to climb into the driver's seat of the transport hog again, but felt someone grabbing him by the back of his armor collar and pulling him away and throwing him to the floor.

"_No._" Tali said after she pulled N'tho away from the driver's seat. "You're no longer allowed to drive anything ever again. Keelah Se'lai." She said it all calmly and sternly, but beneath it was the implication that she'd shoot N'tho in the face if he ever tried to take the wheel from her.

_That Unggoy was right. _N'tho thought to himself. _She is a scary suit lady_


	25. The Old Growth

**Ever wrote a Halo / Mass Effect Fanfic and watch AMV Hell at the same time?**

**It's an...interesting experience.**

...

1009 Hours, March 5th, 2683

ExoGeni Skyway

Surface of Feros

Thesseus System, Attican Beta Cluster

...

_From there I got away, my spirit's never failin',_

_Landed on the quay as the ship was sailin',_

_Captain at me roared,_

_Said that no room had he, when I jumped aboard,_

_A cabin found for Paddy,_

_Down among the pigs,_

_That some hearty rigs,_

_Danced some hearty jigs,_

_The water round me bubblin',_

_When off Holyhead,_

_I wished meself was dead,_

_Or better far instead,_

_On the rocky road to Dublin._

_One, two, three, four, five,_

_Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the ways to Dublin_

_Whack-fol-lol-e-da!_

"Geth troopers." N'tho noted.

"I see them." Tali replied. She then turned the warthog's wheel to the right, swerving around the squadron of Geth troopers that were shooting at them. The machines kept shooting at the hog, but it only took a few seconds for the vehicle to speed out of their effective range.

"You see what I just did there, N'tho?" Tali asked. "Instead of driving _through _them, I drove _around _them. Now, wasn't that easier? Wasn't that less stressful?"

"...I guess." N'tho quietly and bitterly muttered. "You don't get a lot of kills that way, though."

_The boys of Liverpool, when we safely landed,_

_Called meself a fool, I could no longer stand it,_

_Blood began to boil,_

_Temper I was losin',_

_Poor ould Erin's isle,_

_They began abusin,_

_"Hurrah my soul" says I,_

_My shillellagh I let fly,_

_Some Galway boys were by,_

_Saw I was a hobblin',_

_Then with a loud hurray,_

_They joined in the affray,_

We quickly cleared the way,

_For the rocky road to Dublin._

_One, two, three, four, five,_

_Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the ways to Dublin_

_Whack-fol-lol-e-da!_

...

Finally, the two hogs arrived back at the Zhu's Hope garage. They looked overhead and saw the Yanme'e fly over them. "We're above Zhu's Hope." one of the Yanme'e reported via radio. "Beginning bombardment."

"Surprised they agreed to help." Ashley said. "Twenty minutes ago, they were ready to allow that whole colony to get purged."

"Yanme'e are followers, not leaders." N'tho elaborated. "With Jeong...'incapacitated,' they ran out of orders to follow, which left them open to suggestion." The young Sangheili paused. "Plus, it didn't seem like they really liked or respected Jeong that much to begin with."

"Hard to imagine why." Ashley sarcastically commented.

As the hogs slowed to a stop in front of the Zhu's Hope garage and began to climb out, they saw that an odd creature was waiting for them, crouched in the fetal position. It didn't move at all at first, but as the squad moved closer, the creature began to rise. Its skin was a sickly shade of grey and it had long claws on its hands. The exposed teeth and eyes so sunken in they didn't even seem to be there at all gave the head a decidedly skull-like appearance.

And most disturbing of all, it looked unmistakably Human.

It lunged at the Spartan. In response, the Spartan whipped out his pistol and fired, drilling a neat hole in the creature's head. It collapsed, a pool of green ichor forming around its head at the Master Chief's feet.

"What is that thing?" Kaidan asked. The Spartan kicked the corpse, flipping it over onto its back. "Can't be Human."

"Looks Human." Chief said. "Could be the final stage of Thorian spore exposure."

"No way." Ashley said. "No way the Thorian can mutate a Human that much, that quickly."

"The Flood could." Chief pointed out. He put his pistol away and kneeled in front of the creature. "Anyone got a knife?"

N'tho then reached into a pocket on his belt and pulled out a small handle and tossed it to the Spartan. Chief caught it and noted that it was an energy dagger. He snapped it on and used it to saw through the creeper's chest cavity. N'tho stood across from the Chief, keeping his needler shotgun pointed at the creature's head in case it tried to jump out and attack the Spartan like it would if this were a horror vid.

Chief handed the energy dagger back to N'tho when he completed his cut. He then gripped both sides of the creature's chest and pried it open. He was a bit surprised by what he saw. Tender meat, chambered vessels and a distinct shade of green, this creature's insides looked for all the universe like the insides of a cucumber.

"Okay. Now I _know _this thing isn't Human." Ashley said. Chief agreed. Even if this was a Human that had been infected, there would still be something vaguely resembling organs inside its body; lungs, kidneys, a stomach and a heart. No such structures here though. Just a lot of green chambered vessels.

"So if it's not Human, then what is it?" N'tho asked.

"Bombing complete. Most of the colonists are unconscious now." the Yanme'e reported over radio. The squad saw the fifty-strong swarm fly overhead, back towards where the ExoGeni employees were holed up. "We are heading back to the shelter. We have done our part. Good luck, Master Chief."

"Alright." Chief began over TEAMCOM. "These things are definitely hostile, so if we encounter more of them inside Zhu's Hope, shoot to kill. But check your targets. I don't want any dead colonists. Clear?"

The squad winked green.

"Good." The Spartan said as he keyed open the door.

The door opened and revealed over a dozen creepers inside the garage. They all began standing up from their fetal positions as the door opened.

"Aw, crap." Kaidan muttered.

"Singularity!" Chief shouted. Liara thrust her hands out and created a mini black hole in the midst of the creepers. Chief and the rest of the squad then held up their weapons and unloaded into the swirling mass. Chief noticed that he was taking fire, making him dive for cover on instinct. He dashed out of the doorway, the most obvious line of sight. He then peeked around the corner and saw two colonist guards with their assault rifles spitting rounds at the rest of the squad while they tried to take out the creepers. The Yanme'e's earlier bombardment didn't hit them. This garage had a roof, sadly. It made him wonder how many other colonists the buggers might have missed.

"Take cover and cease fire!" Chief ordered. The squad ran out of the doorway and out of the guards' line of sight. Chief then dashed back in, ran up the ledge and tossed a gas grenade at the colonists. The two were only able to get a few shots in before the grenade detonated in an explosion of green gas, making them both collapse.

Chief then turned towards the creepers, withdrawing his assault rifle and cleaning up the ones the rest of the squad missed. He lowered his weapon when the last one fell. "Clear." he reported.

"Goddess." Liara breathed as she walked in, noting all the bits of smoking creeper strewn across the garage. "How many of these things are there?"

"Guess the Thorian didn't think its thralls made for a big enough army, so it created a whole bunch of these things." Garrus speculated.

"Well, they go down easy enough." Chief said. He nodded to the elevator before walking in, the rest of squad behind him, carefully stepping over the two guards.

...

One three-minute elevator ride later, the squad arrived back in Zhu's Hope proper. They stepped out of the elevator, stepped around the corner, but stopped at the head of the stairs. The Chief had held up a hand, his thumb pressing into his palm, his fingers curled inward, the 'unknown ahead, wait' signal. "N'tho."

"Er, yeah?" the young Sangheili said.

"Cloak and move ahead. I need to know how many more of those things are out there." the Spartan ordered. "The rest of us will stay here."

"Can do." N'tho replied before activating his cloak. He trotted down the stairs as he faded from sight.

"Yeah. More of 'em." N'tho reported over TEAMCOM a few seconds later.

"How many?" Chief asked.

"I'm counting at least a dozen here." N'tho said. "Moving on to the other side of the freighter."

"What about the colonists?" Chief asked.

"They're all unconscious so it looks like the- Oooooooooh crap, there's like fifty more of these things back here."

Chief heard hissing over the radio.

"...And my cloak just ran out. Awesome."

"Get back to our position. Now." Chief ordered. N'tho winked green. "Wrex, Garrus, Ashley; around me. Firing positions. We're gonna have company in a minute."

"Less than a minute!" N'tho yelped as he appeared around the corner and ran up the stairs past the rest of the squad. Chief, Ashley, Wrex and Garrus all withdrew their assault rifles and positioned themselves at the top of the stairs. Chief and Wrex stood while Ashley and Garrus each knelt on one knee in front of them.

The hissing and moaning of what sounded like a hundred of those creatures grew louder as the horde got closer. The first few creepers then appeared from around the corner. As soon as they did, the four soldiers opened fire. Fire flowed out of their assault rifles as the creepers tried to climb up the stairs after them. They held down their triggers as more and more of the vile creatures charged up the stairs, not one of them getting far before getting riddled with bullets.

Finally, after killing what felt like a hundred of them, they stopped coming. A pile smoking creeper corpses sat at the bottom of the stairs. "Dead and done. Just the way I like 'em." Wrex commented.

"That all of them?" Chief asked.

"I think so." N'tho replied.

"Alright. Let's move out. Stay alert." Chief said as he began descending the stairs. He kicked some creeper corpses and body parts aside when he arrived at the foot of the stairs before heading out into the colony's courtyard. The rest of the squad tried to walk through the little path Chief created, not wanting to plunge their legs into the pile of death they had created just to follow him.

They made their way across the courtyard of the colony, carefully stepping over or around any unconscious colonists that were in their way. The Yanme'e had done a good job after all. Any colonists that were out in the open got hit with the gas, and from the looks of things, most of them were indeed out in the open.

They crossed the walkway at the far end of the courtyard and arrived at what seemed to be a crane. The Spartan walked up to a control console and pressed a few keys. The crane then lifted part of the freighter, revealing a stairway that led down.

Chief then noticed a moving white dot on his HUD.

The Spartan spun around and aimed his rifle down the sights, the squad following his lead. There was Fai Dan, shambling towards them. Buggers missed him. He was probably inside the freighter itself during the bombing run.

"I tried to fight it...but it gets in your head." Fai Dan strained to say, his face scrunched up in pain. "You can't imagine the pain..."

"Stand down, Dan." Chief said.

"I'm supposed to be their leader...these people trusted me..." The colonist leader reached for his gun and pulled it out, aiming it at the Spartan.

"_Stand down._" the Master Chief repeated, more sternly this time. "I won't tell you again."

"It wants me to stop you..." Fai Dan replied. Chief kept his gun trained on the colonist.

"But I won't." Fai Dan said.

He pulled the pistol away from the Spartan.

He pointed it at his own head.

"I won't!"

Spartan time kicked in.

Chief aimed at Fai Dan's shoulder and fired, aiming the weapon in such a way that the shot would only graze him. With an assault rifle, it was a risky shot, but there was no time to pull out a more accurate weapon. Besides, Chief was confidant enough in his own aim that a short, controlled burst of fire would be accurate enough. It was. Fai Dan yelped in pain, dropping the pistol to grip the wound with that hand. Chief pulled out a gas grenade and threw it. The grenade detonated upon hitting Fai Dan's chest, knocking the colonial leader to the ground.

"Liara. Get some medi-gel on his shoulder." Chief said. The Asari nodded and rushed over to the now-unconscious Human. Chief walked over to Fai Dan himself, watching as Liara rubbed medi-gel into Fai Dan's bleeding shoulder. Once she was confidant that the wound itself was covered, she took out a medical wipe and began cleaning the wound. She looked up at the Spartan.

"I think he'll be alright." she reported.

"Good." Chief said. Enough people had died defending this colony. This battle didn't need to be like the Human-Covenant War. It didn't need any more dead heroes. "Move out. Down those stairs." Chief said over TEAMCOM.

...

"Okay." Wrex said as the squad descended the stairwell into the bowels of Zhu's Hope's substructure. "So now we just need to kill the Thorian and we can call it a day."

"I don't know, Wrex." N'tho said. "The VI said it has tendrils that are _kilometers _long. I don't think killing it is gonna be that simple."

The Krogan grunted. "How big can it be?" he scoffed.

Finally, the squad reached the bottom of the stairwell and reached the end of a corridor. They were in a large chamber that was cylindrical in shape and layout. The ceiling had what seemed to be a large lamp, casting light on the giant room.

And its occupant.

Its skin was pink in color, reminding the Spartan of a Human brain. Giant roots as thick as tree trunks adhered to the walls, keeping the thing suspended over the dark pit below. Its face, if you could call it that, was something right out of a Lovecraft poem. What looked like eye-sockets had no eyes at all, and tentacles dripping with fluid drooped down, giving the appearance of a mouth.

"...And _you _think _I _talk too much?" N'tho asked the Krogan.

As Chief took in the grotesque creature before him, the Spartan couldn't help but be reminded of a similar creature.

_Now the gate has been unlatched,_

_Headstones pushed aside,_

_Corpses shift and offer room,_

_A fate you must abide._

Grotesque, plant-like, infection of sapient beings via spores, a distinct stench, there was no denying that the Thorian was indeed quite similar to the Gravemind.

"You getting a bad sense of deja vu too, huh?" Cortana asked. Chief nodded in reply. "Well, let's try to stay objective here." The AI went on. "Though similar, there are several key differences between the Thorian and the Gravemind. For one, the VI said that its release of spores is an act of survival, not aggression. Which implies that the Thorian doesn't want to conquer the galaxy as much as it simply wants to be left alone. Also, what the Thorian does to its victims is nowhere _near _as horrific as what the Gravemind does. The Thorian is a plant, while the Flood is a fungus, and you know how I _hate _when people confuse the two..."

The Thorian's 'head' suddenly started moving. Its pink flesh and face tentacles began twitching as the Thorian started making sounds that resembled intense, labored breathing. It lifted up its tentacles, revealing that it actually had something like a mouth, viscous fluid leaking out.

A green-skinned Asari in a black catsuit slipped out of its mouth and landed on one knee.

"...And of course, the Gravemind certainly never did _that._" Cortana finished.

The Asari stood up and walked over to the Spartan. "Invaders. Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe."

The Master Chief looked up at the Thorian. Then back down to the Asari. "Alright. I'm in awe." he said in an even tone. "Now that that's been settled, I understand Saren was here a few days ago. What happened?"

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone." the Asari began. "The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in a long cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given."

Her eyes narrowed. "The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies. It will listen no more."

"Easy." Chief said. "We didn't come here to start a fight."

"We didn't?" Wrex asked. "Why not?"

Chief looked up at the Thorian. "The 'cold ones?' They're all dead. I killed them, so you don't have to worry about them anymore. In exchange, you can just give me the knowledge you gave to Saren. Give it to me and I'll leave peacefully."

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry!" the Asari shouted, "Your lives are short, but have gone on too long!" Biotics began flaring around her. "Your blood will feed the grou-"

Chief withdrew his shotgun, held it up against the Asari's torso one-handed, and pulled the trigger, the force of the blast sending her corpse flying into the pit. He looked back up at the Thorian and pumped his shotgun.

"Alright. Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough, so let's try this again." the Spartan said. "I need you to tell me what you told Saren. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Here's a hint; the hard way's not fun."

Hissing and groaning suddenly filled the chamber. The squad looked around and saw Thorian creepers moving around on the upper floors of the chamber. What looked to be dozens, perhaps even hundreds of them, growled at the team.

"I think it wants to do this the hard way, sir." Kaidan reported.

"They always do." Chief noted with a tired sigh. He pointed at the Thorian. "Light it up." he ordered over TEAMCOM.

With that, the squad aimed their weapons and opened fire on the Thorian. Despite all the assault rifle fire and shotgun blasts, the Thorian didn't even seem phased. The shots left little more than pock marks on its skin. Even the needles from N'tho's needler shotgun just seemed to bounce off.

"Mike Foxtrot!" Ashley swore. "Does this thing have kevlar for skin or something?"

"Company!" N'tho shouted as a pack of creepers came charging at the squad from a corridor behind them. N'tho whirled around and fired his shotgun, the needles hitting one of the creepers in the chest and then detonating. Kaidan biotically pushed one of the creepers away and filled another one with bullet holes. One of the vile creatures got close enough to Wrex to claw at his armor. After grappling with the creeper for a second, the Krogan threw it down to the ground and then stomped on its head.

"Chief. I'm picking up a faint bio-electrical signal from down that corridor." Cortana reported. "I think it's one of those nerve bundles that VI was talking about. Could be the Thorian's weak point."

"Worth a shot." Chief quietly said to himself. "Everyone down that hall! Move!" he ordered over TEAMCOM. The squad rushed down the hall, blasting any creeper that got in their way. They turned left into a room and found the nerve bundle. It looked like a giant tendril or root, connecting the Thorian with the wall.

"What's that thing?" Garrus asked.

"Something we should be shooting at." Chief replied before raising his assault fire and firing on it tendril.

"Works for me!" Wrex said as he joined the Spartan with his shotgun. After a few seconds of the assault, green ooze suddenly bursted from the nerve bundle, as though a pipe had busted open, as the bundle itself turned a sickly black. A shrill cry of pain from the Thorian pierced through the air.

"It's hurt!" N'tho cheered.

"And unlike the Thorian itself, these things aren't bulletproof." Kaidan added. "There must be more of these around this chamber."

"He's right, Chief." Cortana said. "I'm picking up more bio-electrical signatures just like that one all around the chamber."

"Up the stairs!" Chief said as he pointed up the nearby stairway. The squad ascended the stairs until they were up a floor. Chief checked his HUD and noted that there were more of those nerve bundles in either direction. They needed to split up.

"N'tho, Liara, Wrex, you three are with me. We're going that way." Chief said as he pointed down one end of the hall. "Everyone else, go the other way." he pointed down the other end of the hall. Everyone winked green before moving out.

Chief and his team saw another neural node down the hall. However, there were about a dozen creepers between it and them. As they rose up from their fetal positions, Chief noticed more creepers approaching them from behind on his HUD. "I got these ones." Wrex said before charging right into the Creepers in front of them. The Krogan surrounded himself with a biotic barrier before blasting his shotgun into the chest of one creeper and headbutting another one. He grabbed one creeper by the leg and used it as a club against its comrades.

While Wrex was dealing with the ones in front, the rest of the team swiveled and poured some fire into the oncoming horde. A few of the zombie-like creatures suddenly stopped mid-charge, stood upright and began to, for lack of a better word, vomit. The green slime spewed forth like a corrupted fountain, spraying the Asari, the Sangheili and the Spartan with the vile stuff before Chief gunned it down. It was only at that point did Chief note that his shields were almost completely drained.

"That green slime was some kind of acid." Cortana said. "You and the rest of the squad are definitely gonna want to keep your distance from these things."

Chief nodded before keying Kaidan. "Kaidan; be advised. Keep your distance. These things spit out acid."

...

"Yeah! I noticed!" Kaidan hollered as he held an arm up, trying to shield his face from the acid this creeper was spewing all over him. With a growl, Kaidan summoned up his biotics and pushed the creeper off the ledge.

Ashley spit out curse words as a creeper's acid splashed against her shields. She turned towards the offending creature and pumped a few shotgun rounds into its chest, ending its onslaught.

"Garrus! Ashley! Fire on that bundle!" Kaidan yelled as he pointed at a nerve bundle. The two of them winked green as they switched to their assault rifles and opened fire. The neural node slowly turned from pink to black before a vessel full of green ichor burst, earning another shriek of pain from the Thorian.

"Yeah!" Ashley cheered. "Take that you mutant potato!"

Kaidan and his team suddenly heard moans. A LOT of moans. He and his team turned around and saw a huge horde of creepers rushing towards them. "Everyone line up!" Kaidan yelled. "I want overlapping fields of fire!"

...

"Liara! Singularity behind us!" Chief ordered. Liara winked green before spinning on her heels and summoning a singularity to suck in the pack of creepers behind them. "Wrex. N'tho. Light 'em up. Liara. You and me on this node."

While Liara and the Master Chief went to work on the neural node, Wrex and N'tho unloaded on the hapless creepers orbiting around the Asari's singularity. "Hey Wrex? I couldn't help but notice that you're not that much of a heavy lifter in the biotics department." N'tho shouted over the roar of spewing bullets and plasma.

"What?" Wrex replied.

"I'm just saying; Liara freezes people with her stasis and can make friggin' BLACK HOLES with her brain. Whereas all you do is give yourself the occasional shield boost and toss crap around. I think she's got you outclassed, dude!" N'tho argued.

Eventually, the singularity faded and the creepers fell to the floor, lifeless. "They all dead?" Wrex asked.

"Looks that way." N'tho said.

"Good." Wrex replied. He swiftly turned and headbutted the Sangheili.

"Sonnuvabitch!" the elite yelped as he fell to the ground, gripping his head in pain.

...

Kaidan and his team heard the Thorian cry out in pain again as they fought through ever more creepers. "Keelah Se'lai! We're on the right track!" Tali cheered.

"Hopefully that track ends soon!" Garrus yelled. "I don't know how much longer we-" The Turian's sentence was cut off when he suddenly flew through the air. He skidded across the floor, going over the edge. Only his grip on the edge saved him.

Kaidan turned around and saw that green Asari from earlier. How she survived a point blank shotgun blast to the chest followed by a long fall was beyond Kaidan, but that wasn't the issue right now. The issue was the fact was that she was surrounded by a biotic aura as well as a couple dozen angry creepers.

"Ashley! Get Garrus!" Kaidan ordered. "Tali, with me! Suppressive fire!"

As Kaidan and Tali tried to hold off the Asari and her minions, Ashley ran over to Garrus and tried to help him up. "Foxtrot..." she grunted with clenched teeth. "You're heavier than you look."

"Yeah, well, I bet you are too." Garrus said as he was pulled up on to the ledge.

"...Did you just call me fat?" Ashley asked. She heard a moaning behind her and turned around, seeing a creeper rushing up to her, preparing to vomit acid on the soldier. That is, up until it collapsed on to the ground, a neat bullet hole drilled into its skull. She turned back to Garrus, the Turian holding a smoking pistol.

"Oh look. That creeper died. And several more live ones are over there. Could we go deal with that? We'll continue this conversation never." Garrus said.

"Master Chief! This is Kaidan!" Kaidan keyed the Spartan over TEAMCOM. "That Asari's back somehow and she's got a whole bunch of creepers with her! We're getting pinned to the wall over here!"

...

"Copy, Kaidan. You said the Asari is alive?" Chief asked.

"Affirmative." the biotic on the other line answered. Chief looked across the chamber to spot Kaidan's group on the other side and, sure enough, there was that Asari leading a group of creepers to terrorize them.

"Your blood will feed the ground in a new growth!"

Chief turned and saw a green Asari leading an army of creepers towards his group.

Then he looked back at that same green Asari attacking Kaidan's group.

"What the-" Chief turned back to 'his' green Asari, only to get hit with a biotic push for his trouble. Chief flew through the air until he smacked into a wall and then hit the ground hard.

"Chief, we need supporting fire!" Kaidan said over TEAMCOM. "Can any of you hit this Asari from over there?"

"We've got our hands full ourselves, Alenko." Chief said as he got up and joined the rest of his team in pouring assault rifle fire into the approaching creepers.

"I can go over and relieve them!" Wrex shouted over the gunfire.

"How? They're on the other side of the chamber!" N'tho shouted back.

"Just watch!" Wrex said as he trotted over to the edge of the level, his whole body wrapped in a biotic aura. He rolled his shoulders and his neck, working out all the kinks. He crouched low as his biotic aura intensified. Then, he leapt off the ledge.

And vanished.

In a flash of blue, Wrex appeared on Kaidan's side of the chamber and went to work, alternating between gunning down creepers and throwing them around with biotics. "You're all gonna wanna hide behind something!" Wrex shouted as he whipped out a spike grenade. As Kaidan's team took cover, Wrex primed the grenade and threw it. It embedded itself into the Asari's chest cavity.

Wrex then leapt off the ledge and disappeared again in a blue flash as the grenade detonated, spikes flying and impaling countless creepers. One of the spikes flew right into one of the Thorian's neural nodes, earning yet another screech from the enormous creature. Wrex then re-appeared on Chief's side of the chamber, 'ramming' the other green Asari as he did so. He then unloaded six shotgun rounds into the Asari before she collapsed on the floor in a puddle of green goo. The Krogan Battlemaster then turned to N'tho as he pumped his shotgun.

"...I'm not impressed." N'tho said. "If I had biotics, I could do that too."

"Last nerve bundle dead ahead, Chief." Cortana reported as she highlighted it on the Spartan's heads-up display.

"Pass it on to N'tho's HUD." Chief said.

"Can do." the AI replied as she did this.

"There's the last nerve bundle, N'tho." Chief said over TEAMCOM. "You're our pathfinder. The rest of us will watch your back. Kaidan, take your team and rendezvous with ours."

"On our way." Kaidan replied.

"Alrighty then!" N'tho said as he unfurled his plasma mini-gun. "Clear the way! Sangheili with a big gun coming through!"

The elite marched towards the last nerve bundle, mowing down any creeper that got in his way with snarling plasma while the rest of the team watched his six. After a few minutes, they reached the last Thorian neural node. "Fire." Chief ordered. The squad opened fire on the node, turning it black until green goo burst out.

Then, the nerve bundle suddenly snapped from the wall, whipping back to the Thorian like a taught cable that reached its limit. The creature shrieked and groaned as more and more of its roots seemed to snap. With so many nerve bundles dead, its tentacles were weaker, unable to support its weight. After a few seconds, the roots could support its mass no more. They gave way, and the Thorian tumbled down the black, yawning pit, shrieking the whole way down until a colossal thud was heard.

"I think the Thorian's dead, sir." Kaidan reported over TEAMCOM.

Chief sighed. "That's bad."

"Why?"

"If the Thorian's dead, then so is the knowledge Saren came here for." Chief grimly pointed out in turn. "He's a step ahead of us now."

This was indeed a heavy loss. Chief was hoping that taking out these nerve bundles would merely subdue the Thorian, not kill it outright. He still needed whatever information the Thorian told Saren. Eventually, Kaidan's team trotted over, linking back up with the Spartan.

"Perhaps it is still alive?" Liara suggested. "We could repel down the pit on a rope or-"

"Movement!" Wrex reported, pointing his shotgun at a bulbous sac on the far wall. It was churning and moving, like there was something inside it.

"Be ready." Chief ordered as he withdrew his own weapon and pointed it at the sac, the rest of the squad doing the same. The sac continued to move more rapidly until it ruptured. Another Asari tumbled out along with a gush of green fluid.

"...Mazel Tov. It's a girl." N'tho commented.

The Asari stood up. While she was dressed the same as all those green Asari, her skin was a shade of blue, as was more typical for her species. She blinked a bit and struggled to compose herself, as if in a daze. "I'm...I'm free?" she asked of no one in particular. Once she had her bearings, she turned to the Spartan. "I...I suppose I should thank you for releasing me."

"Who are you?" Chief asked, weapon still pointed at the Asari.

"My name is Shiala. I serve-" she paused. "..._Served _Matriarch Benezia." she corrected herself. "When she allied herself with Saren, so did I. Benezia foresaw the influence he would have, and joined him to guide him down a gentler path. But Saren is compelling. Benezia lost her way."

"Uh-huh." Chief said, not buying what this Asari was selling.

"Benezia underestimated Saren as I did." Shiala went on. "We came to believe in his cause and his goals. The strength of his influence is troubling."

"Asari matriarchs are among the oldest and wisest beings in the galaxy." Chief said. "And now you're telling me one of them just fell under 'Saren's influence' just like that? How?"

"Saren has a vessel." Shiala explained. "An enormous warship unlike any I've seen. He calls it the _Sovereign. _It can dominate the minds of his followers. They become indoctrinated to Saren's will. The process is subtle. It can take days. Weeks. But in the end, it is absolute."

"...So let me get this straight. Saren has a warship that brainwashes people?"

"It's more subtle than brainwashing but...yes. That is one way of summarizing it." Shiala said.

"How does it work?"

"I...I do not know."

"AH-CHOO!" Ashley blurted out. "Oh, sorry about that. I'm allergic to bullshit."

"Hold on a minute." Kaidan said. "Shiala, what exactly does the _Sovereign _look like?"

"Huge. Three kilometers from bow to stern. Hull as black as night. It faintly resembles an aquatic creature with tentacles." Shiala described.

"Sounds like the Geth mothership we saw on Eden Prime." Kaidan said. "It must've been the _Sovereign_. Guess it's Saren's flagship."

"Correct." Shiala said with a nod.

"I still don't buy your brainwashing excuse." Chief said point blank.

"I don't expect you to." the Asari replied. "To be honest, I hardly believe it myself. Looking back, it all seemed like a very surreal dream...or more appropriately, a nightmare. But regardless of whether you believe me or not, I can still give you the Cipher."

"The what?" Chief asked.

"The Cipher. It's what Saren came here for." Shiala elaborated. "Saren brought me to this world so he could use my biotics to communicate with the Thorian; to learn its secrets. He offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between Saren and the Thorian."

"And once Saren got what he wanted, he tried to terminate that alliance." Garrus stated.

"Yes." Shiala replied. "After he had what he wanted, he ordered the Geth to destroy all evidence of the Thorian's existence." she turned to the Spartan. "Saren knows you are looking for the Conduit, Master Chief. He knows you are following his steps. He attacked the Thorian so you could not gain the Cipher."

"Which is?" Chief pressed, eager to get to the point.

"The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions." Shiala began. "But the visions were unclear, confusing. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their culture, their history, their very existence."

She gestured to the hole the Thorian fell down. "The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built this city. It watched and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it."

"...That's all very interesting, but you still haven't told me just what exactly the Cipher _is_." Chief reminded the Asari. "Kinda eager to hear that part."

"The Cipher is..." Shiala paused, as if trying to think of a way to answer the Spartan's question. "...The very essence of being a Prothean."

"...Mind being more specific?" Chief said.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." Shiala said with a helpless shrug. "It can not be described or explained. It would be like describing color to a creature without eyes. To understand, you must have access to endemic ancestral memory. A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean generations. I sensed this ancestral memory, the Cipher, when I melded with the Thorian. Our identities merged. Our minds intertwined. Such knowledge can not be taught. It simply exists."

"...Well then, fat lotta good you are." Wrex said. "I say we shoot her."

"Hold on a second." Chief said. "Shiala. You gave this knowledge to Saren, didn't you?"

"Yes." Shiala said. "I transferred the knowledge from my mind to Saren's. I can do the same for you, Master Chief."

"Do it." the Spartan said as he lowered his weapon and walked up to the Asari. "If she tries anything, _then _you can shoot her." he silently added over TEAMCOM where Shiala couldn't hear. The squad winked green. Wrex winked green twice.

"Try to relax, Master Chief." Shiala said in a soothing tone. "Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us."

She slowly approached the Spartan. "One to another. Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit."

She stopped in front of him and put both her hands on his shoulders. Despite his reflexes telling him to fight her off, he shoved those instincts into a dark corner of his mind as he relaxed. He tried focusing on just the sound of the Asari's voice and trancing himself into a zen-like state. It's what Linda did back in the Human-Covenant War, and it seemed to help with her sniping capabilities.

"We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Master Chief."

Shiala reared her head back and closed her eyes.

She thrust her head back to its original position and opened her eyes, suddenly wells of black.

"Embrace eternity!"

...

_There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering._

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_Minds being tormented._

_Blood splattering on the ground._

_Screeching of the damned._

_Eyes that spoke eons of malice._

_A star._

_A planet._

_A light in the darkness._

_A monster._

_A roar._

_"We are your salvation through destruction."_

_Go._

_Before it's too late._

...

As suddenly as it began, the vision stopped. Shiala took a few steps back. The Master Chief's vision was blurry for a minute. He had to blink it back into focus, but other than that, he felt well enough.

"I have given you the Cipher. Just as it was given to Saren." Shiala stated. "The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now."

"Are you alright, Master Chief?" Ashley asked in a concerned tone. "What did she do?"

"Vitals pinged KIA for a second." Kaidan added.

"I'm alright." Chief assured. "As for the vision...there was some new stuff, but it still didn't make any sense."

"You've been given a great gift. The experience of an entire people." Shiala pointed out. "It will take time for your mind to process this information."

Ashley walked up closer to the Spartan. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Chief resolutely repeated. "I can have Chakwas take a look at me if anything comes up."

"I'm sorry if you did suffer, but there was no other way." Shiala apologetically said. "You need the Cipher. In time, it will help you understand the vision from the beacon."

In time. Chief hated that phrase. It usually meant more waiting. "I don't suppose you know what the Conduit is?" Chief tried.

"No. I'm sorry." the Asari replied. "All I know is that Saren believes it is the key to the Prothean extinction."

"What about Saren himself?" Chief pressed.

"There is little I could tell you that you do not already know." Shiala answered. "He is powerful, charismatic, and dangerous. He is leading the galaxy into an age of darkness and suffering. I pray you find the Conduit before he does."

"I don't think we're getting anything else out of her." Chief announced over TEAMCOM.

"So, what do we do with her?" Garrus asked.

Chief switched off TEAMCOM and stared down the Asari. "Shiala, you were an accomplice to a war criminal. I can't let you walk."

"Your suspicions are understandable. But you freed me from the Thorian and from Saren. I am on your side now." Shiala replied. "If you allow it, I would like to stay here with the colonists. They have suffered greatly and I have played a role in their suffering. I would like to make amends."

Chief set his jaw. As he had said, she was a willing accomplice to a war criminal. Something as light as community service wasn't going to fly. Still, she was a POW. One with possibly valuable insight into Saren's plans, or at least the inner workings of his army. She could still be useful in the future.

"Wrex. You still got one of those neural inhibitor collars?" Chief said as he turned to the Krogan. Wrex nodded before tossing such a collar to the Master Chief. The Spartan caught it in mid-air and turned to Shiala. "Here's what going to happen. I'll be turning you over to the colonists, who'll hold you under arrest until an Alliance fleet gets here. Once they do, you'll be brought in for questioning, and I do not suggest withholding anything from them. You can plead your case to them and, if they buy your story, they can let you stay and help the colonists under close supervision. No promises, though."

"So be it. I will not resist." Shiala said as she got down on her knees and put her hands behind her head. True to her words, she put up no fight as the Spartan clamped the collar around her neck. Her body went limp. Chief turned to N'tho and nodded to Shiala.

"Alright, lady. Let's go." N'tho said as he grabbed the Asari and threw her over his shoulder rather unceremoniously.

...

When the squad emerged back onto the surface of Zhu's Hope, the colonists had come to. In addition, the ExoGeni employees arrived as well, the skyway now clear of Geth. Doctors from the ExoGeni building were treating the any colonists who had suffered injuries during the siege. Even Ian, the crazy man from the tunnels, was rescued and was now undergoing treatment. He should make a full recovery in time, along with all the other surviving colonists.

According to Julianna, the remaining Yanme'e soldiers were currently out doing aerial sweeps of Zhu's Hope, the ExoGeni building, and the skyway in between. They were searching for Geth stragglers as well as any other Humans or Yanme'e who might've survived the invasion.

Meanwhile, Ethan Jeong had come to and managed to babble out an excuse to ExoGeni HQ; how the Geth killed the Thorian, not the Master Chief. It seemed to be a good enough excuse for them, but that still left the financial future of the colony uncertain. With the planet's most unique treasure gone, it seemed doubtful that ExoGeni would keep investing in this place. Hopefully, there were enough survivors for the colony to make a full recovery.

The Master Chief handed Shiala over to the Yanme'e, who have assumed the role of Zhu's Hope colonial defense force, at least until additional support from the Alliance arrived. He gave them very specific orders not to harm her until the Alliance arrives to interrogate her. The Yanme'e didn't like it; they would've very much liked to have ripped the Asari limb from limb for indirectly playing a role in the deaths of so many of their sisters. However, orders were orders, and the buggers knew that as well as anyone. So they reluctantly agreed.

The Chief heard that Fai Dan was conscious as well now, and decided to pay him a visit in the freighter's medical room. The colonial leader was sitting on a bed, rubbing his shoulder. A scar had formed where the Chief grazed him. His head turned to the Spartan as he entered.

"How are you holding up?" Chief asked.

"Doctor says I'll make a full recovery." Fai Dan replied. "Never thought I'd say this to anyone in my life, but, thanks for shooting me."

"If anyone asks, a Geth did it." Chief said.

Fai Dan chuckled at that. "I'll be sure to tell them that. But in all seriousness, thank you. If you hadn't shot me when you did..."

"Just glad I could help." Chief said.

Fai Dan sighed with weariness. "I was supposed to protect these people. I was their leader. I thought I was protecting the colony but, in the end, I was just protecting my...my slave-master. I should've listened to Ian. I should've realized that there was something messing with our heads instead of just writing off all those headaches as battlefield stress. Some leader I turned out to be."

"You don't give yourself enough credit." Chief said. "Back there, you were literally willing to give your life so that I could kill the Thorian and save the colony from it. That kind of loyalty to your people is a good trait for a leader to have."

Dan smiled. "High praise, coming from you. Thank you, Master Chief. For everything."

"_Normandy _to Master Chief. You there?" Joker's voice came through the Spartan's COM's.

"Master Chief here. Go ahead." Chief replied.

"The Council is on the other line sir." Joker began. "They just received the mission report and want to talk to you ASAP."

"I'll be right over." Chief said before cutting the signal. He turned to Fai Dan. "Council needs to talk to me. Spectre business."

"Duty calls. I understand." Fai Dan said with a nod. "Thank you again for saving us all."

...

"Master Chief." Councillor Tevos greeted. "ExoGeni should've told us about the Thorian. It would've made your job much easier."

"And you might've been able to capture it for study instead of destroying it." Valern added.

"That was actually my original intent, Councillor Valern." Chief said. "However, the circumstances of the engagement forced me to use lethal force. In any case, we got what we came for. I have the Cipher now. Just like Saren."

"Ah yes, 'The Cipher.' An amalgamation of the ancestral memories of the entire Prothean race." Sparatus said, sarcasm liberally spread over each word. He even used exaggerated finger quotations to get his 'I'm not buying it' point across. "Between the vision, the Reapers, and now this, I'm starting to wonder just how much of your investigation is based on factual evidence, Master Chief."

"That's how Shiala described it, Councillor." Chief said. "It added to my vision, which should hopefully be of some help later on. Dr. Liara T'soni, who is now my Prothean expert, tells me that Prothean beacons transmit data directly into the minds of the user. She assures me that the fact that I had a vision on Eden Prime means that the beacon was doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing. The vision would've been clearer if the beacon was in better condition and if my mind was more compatable with it."

Sparatus simply grunted. "Untested science from the daughter of a traitor. Oh yes, I'm _very _assured."

"At least the colony was saved." Tevos interjected, apparently hoping to diffuse the ugly direction this debriefing was taking.

Sparatus rolled his eyes. "Of course it was saved. The Master Chief will go to any lengths to save a _Human _colony."

"As I would with any other world belonging to a Citadel race, Councillor Sparatus." Chief curtly replied.

"Well then, unless there are any more details in this report that we need to go over, let's move on to the next mission, shall we?" Valern suggested.

"Your Alliance's observation satellites have been tracking the movements of Saren's fleet within the Attican Beta cluster." Tevos began. "They have triangulated where his fleet makes berth in the cluster; the Hercules system. Specifically, the planet Eletania."

"STG feelers have confirmed this." Valern added. "There is most certainly a lot of Geth activity both on the planet's surface and in its low orbit. Eletania was most likely a staging ground for the Feros invasion. But by far the most crucial detail is that there is currently a ship in orbit above the planet that fits Shiala's description of Saren's flagship, the _Sovereign, _perfectly. I think you know what that might mean."

"Saren's on Eletania." Chief concluded. His fists clenched.

"This is our chance to bring him in, Master Chief. We can end this once and for all. No telling when, or even if, we'll get another chance like it." Sparatus said. "Your new objective is to go to Eletania. You must apprehend, or failing that, eliminate Saren Arterius."

"In addition, it is possible that Saren is looking for Prothean secrets on Eletania. We know that planet has a few Prothean structures on it. Stopping Saren from getting those secrets should be your secondary objective." Valern added.

"Eletania is not far from Feros." Tevos said. "If you leave right now, you'll easily be there by tomorrow morning."

"I'll prepare the _Normandy _for departure immediately." Chief said.

"Good luck, Master Chief." Tevos said with a smile. "Remember. We're all counting on you." And with that, the Council's images faded from existence.

"Pressly. Chart a course for Eletania; Hercules system. Negulesco; recall any and all crew members ashore. I want this boat moving again, ASAP." Chief crisply ordered.

The Spartan was filled with renewed purpose. Saren Arterius, a madman who tried to start a war with Humanity, was in the Master Chief's sights now.

Saren.

_Your species needs to learn its place, John._

The rogue Spectre couldn't have been more wrong. John-117 knew exactly where his place was. It was right between Saren and Earth. With a rifle aimed right at the Turian's head. Saren had incurred John's wrath by spitting on his species and his name. The Master Chief was now going to teach him the same lesson he taught to the Covenant.

Angering a Spartan is an unwise thing to do.

...

**Remember Eletania way back Mass Effect 1? How it was just a side mission planet with space monkeys and a cool little Prothean ruin easter egg? Yeah, in this story, Eletania's gonna have a lot more than monkeys and eggs.**

**Sorry again for this one taking so long. I was originally supposed to have this out a few days ago, but I've been doing some traveling over the weekend; currently in horrendously humid Maryland visiting family. My goal is to have the next chapter out within the next 2-3 weeks, which shouldn't be hard as it'll be a shorter one.**

**Also, does Zhu's Hope still get continued support from ExoGeni if you intimidated Jeong rather than charm him? I don't play many renegade sheps (I know. I'm a softy), so I wasn't sure. I left the colony's financial future ambiguous and uncertain just to make sure. If EXG does continue to support Zhu's Hope regardless of how you convinced Jeong, then I guess I could say that the colony pulled a surprise come-from-behind financial recovery or something like that.**

**...Also, is the Flood technically a fungus? I know it was a throw-away line but I don't want to add anything to the "did not do the research" entry of this fanfic's tropes page if I can help it**


	26. Need To Know Basis

**Some of you may have noticed that, in the last chapter, Shiala mentioned that Sovereign was three kilometers long instead of two. That wasn't a typo; since Sovereign and other Reapers like him will be going up against Sanheili ships, I decided to even the odds a little by scaling the Reapers up a bit. I don't think it'll break the story any. After all, what's another thousand meters? I mean, hey, if the author behind "In Pursuit of Freedom" could get away with it, I figure I could too. Shame that fic's not around anymore. I really liked it.**

**Then again, size might be irrelevant. I can easily imagine a bunch of Sovereign-Class Reapers ganging up on a Covenant supercarrier and just ripping it apart like a pack of wolves pouncing on some poor dumb moose.**

**But I digress.**

...

1329 Hours, March 5th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Undisclosed Location in the Attican Beta Cluster

...

Councilor Tevos ended up being right. According to Pressly, the _Normandy _would arrive at Eletania within the next 15-20 hours. They would indeed be making landfall on the planet's surface the following morning. Which meant that the next 10 hours or so was going to be completely dedicated to preparation. This would be it. The mission where the Master Chief finally brings in Saren Arterius to answer for his crimes. Every precaution, initiative and counter-measure had to be taken.

The first step was to research the battlefield; the surface of Eletania. At first glance, Eletania seemed to be a typically picturesque garden world ripe for colonization. However, looks can be deceiving. While having a temperature, atmosphere, and level of gravity ideal for Human colonization, the planet's atmosphere was filled with microscopic life-forms that, if inhaled, would cause anaphylactic shock in most non-native life-forms. These microbes were difficult to filter from the air and since they were necessary for the planet's wildlife to thrive, removing them altogether would result in complete ecological collapse. Some colonial firms have suggested building colonies in high altitudes above the microbes' range, or in areas where favorable winds keep the air clear. However, such colony plans were considered risky at best and so most sensible firms had eliminated Eletania as a colony candidate altogether.

For this reason, Eletania was actually a perfect planet to serve as a base of operations for Saren and his armies. The Geth were synthetics, and so did not need to breathe air at all. An atmosphere dense with microbes would be of little hindrance to them. Everyone else could simply wear environmentally sealed suits, which came standard in most militaries, so it's not like it would have been hard for Saren to acquire a few hundred of those. And that was only if they had business on the surface. According to STG feelers, there were a large number of Geth ships in Eletania's low orbit. Those ships could easily have barracks for the organic members of Saren's army, especially the _Sovereign, _the largest ship in the fleet.

Not only would Eletania's surface be teeming with Geth, but the very air they'd breathe would be hostile to them. So it was imperative that every environment suit be up to code. It would be cruelly ironic for someone to die from a rip in their hard suit after all the team has been through in the last couple of weeks. Tali seemed to be the best choice for double-checking any and all suits for structural weaknesses, for obvious reasons. She was almost done with the task.

Almost.

"You know, this would be a bit easier if you just took off your suit." Tali lectured as she stood behind the Chief, tapping keys on her omni-tool.

"Is it really necessary?" Chief asked. The two of them were down in the garage of deck three. The Spartan was sitting on a crate while the Quarian stood behind him. Because of his extreme height, Tali's head was about level with the Chief's even though the latter was sitting down.

"Not really. Just a simple diagnostic."

"Then I'm fine, thanks." Chief replied.

Tali went back to work without a word after that. The Spartan imagined her rolling her eyes, which she probably did. "Done." Tali said as she deactivated her omni-tool. "Your suit doesn't have any rupture risks, so I think you'll be fine on Eletania."

"Thanks." Chief said as Tali walked over to the weapons lockers.

"Just doing my job, sir." Tali replied as she took a shotgun out of her locker. She brought up her omni-tool again and tapped a few keys. A holographic dummy appeared at the end of the garage. Tali walked back to the crate Chief was sitting on, which was of a suitable distance away from the target. She then took her firing stance and began pumping holographic rounds into the dummy.

The Master Chief accessed his omni-tool to spawn another dummy at the end of the garage, next to the first one, and walked over to his own weapon locker. He pulled out his shotgun and joined the Quarian in target practice.

Neither of them spoke a word for a few minutes after that.

"I downloaded a noise machine program, like you advised." Tali said, apparently hoping to break the awkward the silence with some small talk. "It's really been helping me sleep."

"Glad to hear it." Chief replied.

Another minute of silence went by, save for the ping of holographic rounds exiting their gun barrels and hitting their targets.

"Master Chief, can I ask you something?" Tali asked.

"Shoot." Chief said.

"Back on Feros, you said you hacked the Geth network, but you didn't really say how." Tali began. "I saw you pull some kind of chip out of a Geth computer shortly before you announced that. I take it that had something to do with it?"

The Spartan stiffened. "...I don't know what you're talking about." he managed.

"Come on, you can tell me." Tali said.

"I didn't pull out a chip." Chief adamantly said.

"Are you keeping something from us?" Tali bluntly asked, turning away from her target and towards the Spartan.

"No." Chief automatically answered as he launched another round at his dummy. "You're being paranoid."

The Quarian groaned. "That's what Garrus said on Feros."

"Garrus?"

"I brought it up to him while we were waiting for the Geth to board their ship in that break room." Tali explained. "He called me paranoid too, and then said I should just ask you about it. And don't just answer with 'I don't know what you're talking about.' I saved your life by _shooting a Jiralhanae in the face. _I think I deserve to know what's going on."

The Spartan made a mental note to have a chat with Garrus later. In the meantime though, Tali needed to be placated. He immediately began raking his mind for an explanation that was plausible yet won't compromise Cortana. He then remembered something a high-ranking ONI officer once told him.

_Sometimes, the best lies are the ones that are closest to the truth._

"Alright." he said with what he hoped was a convincing sigh of defeat. He lowered his shotgun and turned to face the Quarian, visor to visor. "Once I was re-instated into the Alliance military, I was issued a highly experimental cyber warfare VI." the Spartan said.

"A VI? That's what was on that chip?" Tali asked.

"Yeah." Chief replied.

"Why didn't you tell us about it earlier?" Tali pressed.

"Because it's top-secret. I'm not supposed to reveal its existence to anyone." Chief explained.

"...I see." Tali replied. "So it was a VI that tricked the Geth into piling into that ship?" The Spartan nodded. "It must be incredibly advanced..."

"It is." Chief said. He silently exhaled in relief. Cortana would go undiscovered for another day.

"Sooo...can I take a look at it?"

Or not.

"No." Chief replied on instinct.

"Why not?" Tali pressed.

"Like I said; top secret. A prototype custom-built by ONI and easily the most advanced piece of software we currently have." Chief said. That last sentence, at least, was truth. "The only reason ONI gave it to me is because they were confidant that I'd become a Spectre and they could trust a Human Spectre with something this advanced."

"So, I can't look at it?" Tali asked.

"No. It's top secret and you're not authorized." the Spartan summarized. "Hell, I've already broken protocol just by revealing its existence to you."

"Why should you care? You're a Spectre. And Spectres don't have to follow the rules, right?" Tali questioned. "So you don't have to follow your ONI's rules if you don't want to."

"This isn't up for debate, Tali." Chief sternly said. "No one on this ship examines that VI. Are we clear on that?"

"...Yes sir." Tali quietly replied as her head tilted down. Chief felt bad about putting her down like that, but it had to be done. She was a technological genius, not only with hardware, but with software as well. If Garrus could figure out Cortana's true nature, Tali certainly would. He simply couldn't take the risk.

"It's just...a VI that advanced would be the perfect gift for my pilgrimage." Tali explained as she raised her head back to eye level with the Spartan. "I know Saren's our top priority, but I've been thinking about my pilgrimage a lot lately. With all the wolds we've gone to, I was hoping to find something to bring back to the flotilla."

"You'll find something eventually." Chief said with a shrug.

"Yes but...it can't be just some derelict ship my people can use for salvage or something like that." Tali replied. "It has to be more than that. There's a lot expected of me."

"Why?" the Spartan asked.

"It's my father." Tali explained. "He's the senior member of the admiralty board. He's one of only five people who can overrule the decisions of the conclave for the good of the migrant fleet."

"Your father's an admiral?" Chief asked.

"More than that." Tali said. "My father's responsible for the lives of seventeen million people. Our _entire race _is in his hands...And I'm his only child."

"So what does that make you? The Princess of the Quarians?" Chief asked half-jokingly. He was hoping that a light joke might brighten Tali up a bit after having her hopes dashed.

It worked. She chuckled. "No, it doesn't work that way." she warmly replied. "My father's position isn't hereditary. I'll probably never serve on the admiralty board myself. Officially, I'm just the same as any other citizen."

"And unofficially?" Chief asked.

"People have always treated me differently because of who my father is." Tali answered. "And not always in a good way. I mean, I probably had it easier than most growing up, but people like my father have enemies, and they're not above using me to get to him."

"Sounds like a lot of pressure." the Spartan noted.

"You have no idea." Tali replied. "My people place a high value on family and ancestry. There's an unspoken expectation that I'll live up to my father's example. Everyone's waiting for me to do something great on my pilgrimage, something that will forever change our lives for the better. If I don't, it's like I failed. And that reflects badly on me and my father."

"Well, you joined a SPARTAN-II super-soldier in his mission to bring in a rogue Spectre hell-bent on Human genocide at best and organic genocide at worst." Chief pointed out. "I think that qualifies as great."

"Yes, I think it does too. But you have to understand Quarian culture." Tali pointed out in turn. "We're a very insular society. The events beyond the flotilla don't much matter to the average citizen."

She paused, seeming to stare out into space for a minute. "Our greatest dream is that one day, we'll return to our homeworld and drive out the Geth." she said wistfully, as though speaking of religious scripture. She then shook her head with a sigh, focusing on the Chief again. "But even if we stop Saren, that's not going to happen." she added, her reverie broken. "There's still millions of Geth behind the veil. Until they're gone, our exile will continue."

Chief nodded in understanding. "You think my VI will help your people retake their homeworld."

"It hacked the Geth network. It would make a good gift. Not just for my adopted ship, but for my people." Tali said.

Once again, both the Quarian and the Spartan were silent for a minute.

"...Are you sure I can't look at it?" Tali shyly asked. "I won't steal it, I promise. I just want to examine its code layers. ONI would never hear a word of it from me."

"...No. Protocol." Chief quietly said. "I'm sorry."

"...I see. Well...That's alright, Master Chief." Tali quietly replied. "I'm sure what you said earlier is right. I'll find something eventually."

The two resumed target practice in silence, pumping rounds into their dummies. "I should go." Chief suddenly said after another few minutes. "There's still a lot I need to do. Thanks again for the suit diagnostic, Tali." Chief said.

"Just doing my job, sir." the Quarian replied.

...

"Hail, Spartan." the holographic image of the Arbiter greeted as he pressed a fist to his chest. The Master Chief simply nodded in turn. "What is the purpose of this call?"

The Spartan was currently in the _Normandy's _comms room, on request from Cortana. Apparently, while she was poking around in the Geth network, she came across an interesting nugget of data in one of ExoGeni's servers relating to Cerberus, the organization that the Arbiter had been investigating, and wanted the Spartan to pass the data along. Chief was willing to oblige; he owed the Arbiter for helping him with Dr. Saleon.

"I recently stumbled across some data that you may find interesting. It has something to do with Cerberus." Chief said. He pressed a few buttons on the control panel. "I'm sending it to you now. Looks like they're up to something in the Matano system."

Thel smiled with predatory delight as he looked offscreen, presumably to a computer terminal on his ship, which was displaying the data. "Indeed. I knew the filthy curs would rear their heads again eventually. I will begin preparations to embark immediately."

"What are you hoping to find exactly?" Chief asked.

"Something that will point the way to the beast's lair; Cerberus Headquarters." Thel answered. "It is my intention to find this beast's head...and cut it off." He growled with the all-too familiar Sangheili growl. The last time Chief heard such a sound escape the Arbiter's mandibles, he was talking about the Prophet of Truth.

"You really wanna take these guys down, huh?" Chief asked.

"They have killed many Sangheili. And not just the fleetmaster and his rangers." Thel explained. "You see, Binthu was my first encounter with Cerberus, but it would not be my last. I have done battle against their forces on several instances in the past few weeks. Sangheili warriors, brothers who fought alongside me when I humbly asked them to, died by their hands. I can not allow so many deaths to go unavenged."

The Chief nodded in understanding. After everything Saren did, Chief could respect the Arbiter for wanting to take down someone who did his species so much harm. "Good luck in your hunt Arbiter." he said.

"And you in yours, Spartan." The Arbiter replied with a nod. WIth that, his image faded away. Chief then heard the door to the comms room open. He turned around and saw Liara T'soni enter the room.

"Master Chief. I hope I am not interrupting." Liara apologetically said.

"Good timing, actually. Just finished my call." Chief replied. "What do you need?"

"I was simply thinking of you and the Cipher. Are you suffering any ill effects from it?" Liara asked.

"Like I said on Feros; I'm fine." Chief replied.

"Well, I was just thinking..." Liara said as her eyes suddenly dotted to the floor. "I might be able to help you, what with my knowledge of the Protheans. If I join my consciousness to yours, maybe we can make sense of your vision."

"Can you do that?" The Spartan asked.

"My mental powers may not be as proficient as Shiala's." Liara admitted. "But as I said, I am a Prothean expert. I may have the context she lacked."

The Spartan thought about it for a second. According to the codex, Eletania did have some Prothean ruins on it. Perhaps it was even the resting place of the Conduit itself. If that was true, he'd need all the help he could get in understanding his vision.

"Do it." he said to the Asari with a nod. Liara nodded back as she walked up to the Spartan. She gently gripped him by the shoulders, much like Shiala did on Feros. This time, he didn't feel the reflex to fight back.

"Relax, Master Chief." Liara quietly said as she closed her eyes. "Embrace eternity!"

She opened her eyes, which had become pools of black.

...

_There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering._

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_Minds being tormented._

_Blood splattering on the ground._

_Screeching of the damned._

_Eyes that spoke eons of malice._

_"This is what you face."_

_..._

As suddenly as it started, the vision ended. Liara released the Spartan's shoulders and staggered a bit. "That was...incredible." she said, sounding like she was out of breath. "All this time, all my research and yet I...I never dreamed..." She would've fallen to the floor if the Chief hadn't caught her by the wrist.

"Easy." he said as he helped the Asari get her footing back.

"I am sorry." Liara apologized as she rubbed her eyes and forehead, apparently trying to fight off a headache. "The images were so vivid. I never imagined the experience would be so...intense." she looked up to the Spartan. "You are..._remarkably _strong-willed, Master Chief. What you have been through...what you have seen...it would have destroyed a lesser mind."

"What did you see?" the Chief asked. All he saw was the same thing he saw last time and the time before that.

"The beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged." the Asari scientist began. "Large parts of the vision are...are missing. The data transferred into your mind is incomplete."

"So, nothing new?" Chief asked.

Liara shook her head. "We need to find another beacon. It may have the missing piece to the puzzle. If we can find the missing data from your vision I can...I can..." the Asari began to lose her footing again before Chief caught her by the wrist again.

"What's wrong?" Chief asked as he pulled her back up.

"I am sorry." Liara apologized again. "The joining is...exhausting. I should go down to the medical bay and lie down for a moment.

"I want Dr. Chakwas to take a look at you." Chief said.

"That will not be necessary. I just nee-"

"No excuses." Chief interrupted. "Dr. Chakwas is going to take a look at you. I'm going to need you at 100% tomorrow morning and I'm not taking any unnecessary risks."

"Of...of course, Chief." Liara said.

"Come on." the Spartan said. "I'll walk you the med bay myself."

...

The rest of the day was, to say the least, frantic. Ashley, N'tho and even Wrex had been busy cleaning every last weapon in the _Normandy's _armory. Wrex had to be coaxed into doing it. He was surprisingly cooperative, though that may have been because he claimed to actually enjoy cleaning weapons. Said it made him anticipate the fight more.

Garrus, Tali and Kaidan had been given the task of running a full systems check on the mako, the team's only land assault vehicle. Suspensions, weapons, navigations, Chief told them to replace the tires if they had to. They needed it in absolute mint condition for the fight ahead.

Dr. Chakwas had given Liara a clean bill of health, but the Master Chief didn't want to take any chances. Except for her medical drills, he wanted the Asari to take it easy until morning. As the team's Prothean expert, the Chief will need her at her absolute best tomorrow.

The rest of the _Normandy _crew had also been making preparations. Deck one in particular had been buzzing with activity. Geth ship layouts had been reviewed endlessly by sensors and weapons specialists. Dozens of hypothetical scenarios had been tested via simulation programs. Jeff 'Joker' Moreau was excited. If the Geth fleet orbiting Eletania was as big as everyone was saying, it looked like he'd finally be able to put the _Normandy _to the ultimate test.

Likewise, engineering was also a center of great activity. The eezo-drive core was checked every hour on the hour. Calibrations and tweaking were constantly being made. There wasn't a thermal pipe out of place, and according to the Master Chief's orders, it needed to stay that way for at least forty-eight hours.

Excitement wasn't the only thing in the air though. There was fear too. Not only of the Geth fleet, but of its flagship, the _Sovereign. _It didn't take the crew long to start seeing it in a superstitious light. They spoke of it as though it were a monster more than a ship. It didn't surprise the Master Chief. He heard UNSC marines and servicemen swap similar 'ghost stories' about Covenant supercarriers during the war.

The prospect of engaging the flagship of Saren's Geth fleetmade the crew nervous, and Chief didn't blame them. At three kilometers long, the shipwas easily more than twice the size of most Covenant vessels, and no doubt had armaments to match. Even more intimidating than its size was its mystery. The Master Chief had no idea what kind of weapons, defenses, maneuvering capability, and most critical of all, weaknesses the _Sovereign _had. The Chief didn't even know if it was a dreadnaught like most flagships or just a carrier. Just to be on the safe side, Joker would be under strict orders to stay as far away from the massive ship as possible.

By 2100 hours, everyone knew what their role would be the next morning. The engines, sensors, weapons and stealth systems were all given the green light. The _Normandy _was as ready as she was going to be. All they had to do now was wait.

With preparations complete, that just left the Master Chief to do what he has recently taken to doing while waiting; target practice on deck three.

The holographic dummy had been configured from a Human to a Turian model. The Master Chief had found from this model that, while Turian skin was generally thicker and more resilient than Human skin, it was hardly bullet-proof. Neither was a Turian's skull, as Chief found out when he test-fired a sniper rifle. Good to know. If he can't bring him in alive, then killing Saren won't be anymore difficult than killing a regular Human. He heard the elevator door open behind him and heard a clawed footfall.

"Yikes." Garrus's voice said as its owner entered the garage. "A _Turian _dummy all of a sudden? Should I be going to sleep with a gun tonight?"

"I've been meaning to talk to you." Chief bluntly said.

"Guess that's a yes." Garrus replied as he walked up to the Spartan.

"I'm not in the mood." the Spartan said as he lined up a series of body shots. He squeezed the pistol's trigger three times, each striking the dummy right in the heart. "You and Tali had a chat in that break room in the ExoGeni building back on Feros, right?"

"Er, yes?" the Turian answered cautiously.

The Spartan stepped out of his firing stance and turned towards Garrus. "What did you two talk about?"

"Well...she saw you take out Cortana's chip from a computer on Feros and asked me about it. I told her she was just being paranoid but she wouldn't let it go, so-"

"You told her to ask me about it." Chief finished the Turian's sentence for him. "She actually did earlier today and I was able to give her a satisfactory answer."

Garrus raised one of his eyebrow plates. "You told her about Cortana?"

"No." Chief replied. "I told her that the chip had a top secret VI. My eyes only."

"Oh. Well, glad to hear everything worked out." Garrus cheerfully said.

"You told her to ask _me _about it. Why?" Chief said, cutting straight to the point.

Garrus was momentarily taken aback by the Spartan's bluntness. "Well, I couldn't come up with a good enough excuse, so I thought you could." Garrus explained. "I mean, I don't know if you know this, but in Turian culture, lying to someone's face is seriously looked down upon, more so than in other cultures, actually. As a consequence...most Turians kind of suck at lying."

"Yeah, I can tell." Chief replied. "What's the real reason you sent her to me?"

"...I was hoping that maybe you'd tell Tali about Cortana." Garrus confessed.

"You said you wouldn't tell the crew about Cortana." Chief said.

"I didn't." Garrus retorted. "I tried to give you an opportunity to do that yourself."

The Spartan just shook his head and resumed his firing stance, returning to his target practice. "Look, she can'tstay hidden forever." Garrus tried to point out. "Eventually, something will happen again, like Saleon on the Citadel, and people will find out. Confession is alwayspreferable to being caught, and sooner or later, you'll get caught."

"I won't have to worry about it much longer." Chief replied. "Once we bring in Saren, the mission will be complete and you can all go your separate ways."

"What about the Conduit?" Garrus pressed. "Once we deal with Saren, we'll still have that to worry about."

"The Conduit will no longer be relevant. Saren can't get to it, ergo, it is no longer a concern."

"But what if someone else tries to go after it?" Garrus asked. "Come on, Chief. Think back to your vision. You _know _there's something else besides a rogue Spectre with a Geth army lurking in the dark somewhere."

"What does any of this have to do with Cortana?" Chief asked, his patience beginning to run thin.

"Even after we take down Saren, our mission won't be over until we can make certain that the Conduit won't be a future threat. That means you're going to be stuck with us for a while, which means the rest of the crew will eventually find out about Cortana."

"I'm not stuck with anyone." Chief said. He scored another headshot on the Turian dummy. "If I recall correctly, you _volunteered _for this mission. If you don't like the way I run things, there's nothing stopping you from quitting and leaving the ship at the next port we visit."

"Well, what if I don't _want _to quit?" Garrus probed.

"Then I'll kick you off myself if you keep being this insubordinate." Chief countered. "In fact, as a Spectre, I am well within my rights to dismiss anyone under my command at anytime, and right now, the only reason I'm not dismissing you is because you might still be useful to me on Eletania."

"...So, you can just kick off anyone under your command any time you want. If they get suspicious, you can just kick them off the ship, just like that." Garrus summarized. The Turian shook his head. "Chief, this crew _trusts _you. They believe in you. The least you can do is tell them-"

"I don't need to tell them anything." The Spartan interrupted. "You were in the military, Garrus. You should know how this works. Everything is kept on a need-to-know basis. The reason I haven't told this crew about Cortana is because they don't need to know about her to do their jobs."

"No, but just because they don't need to know doesn't mean you shouldn't tell them." Garrus argued.

"Actually, it does now." Chief said. "As you said, the crew trusts me. If I reveal that I've been keeping Cortana a secret from them, that trust could be compromised. Can't risk a drop in morale now."

"...You know what your problem is, John?"

The Master Chief's head snapped in Garrus's direction. _That certainly got his attention, _Garrus thought to himself.

"Your problem is that you think of your crew and your team as assets more than people. You talk about them like they're assets, anyway." Garrus said. "I don't think you realize the kind of Spirit you've created here."

"Then explain it to me." Chief said. His tone was even, but Garrus could detect an underlying venom to it.

"Okay, here's another fun fact about Turian culture; our most prominent religion is Spirit-based." Garrus began. "We believe that groups and areas have Spirits that transcend the individual. For example, a city's Spirit reflects the accomplishments and industry of its residents. An ancient tree's Spirit reflects the beauty and tranquility around it."

The Turian gestured to the Chief. "Every Human on this ship looks up to you. Hell, half of them worship you. They are completely convinced that this mission will result in nothing less than complete victory simply because _you're _here. All that faith, hope, and determination has endowed the _Normandy _with its own Spirit. And a Spirit like that shouldn't be ignored. It should be nurtured. It just might be what guides us to victory."

"...Garrus, I dedicated almost thirty years of my life to fighting the Covenant. I've had my fill of hokey alien religions." Chief said. "There's no mysticism going on here. We're just a bunch of people doing what's expected of us. That's all."

With that, the Chief turned his head back to his target and resumed shooting. Garrus's mandibles flared in frustration.

"Damn it, Chief. These people _deserve _to know they've got a good AI, a hero like you at that, on their side. And I know that they'd never rat you out to the Council if that's what you're concerned about. So why keep Cortana a secret? Why can't you just tell them?"

"She's all I've got left!"

The Master Chief had broke his firing stance and was now facing Garrus. He stood slightly hunched in front of the Turian, looking like he might attack him at any minute. His pistol was down, for which Garrus was silently grateful. The Turian then realized that this was the only time he had ever heard the Master Chief raise his voice to a shout.

"...She's all I've got left." Chief said again, this time in the tame, even tone that Garrus had grown accustomed to. He also relaxed out of his combat stance and stood up straighter than he did a second ago. "Garrus, I've been frozen for over a hundred years. I'm the last Spartan. The very last one. The rest of them, _my family_, are all dead. My friends, my colleagues, dead. I lost them all, except Cortana_. _She's all I've got left, but if the Council _ever _finds out about her, I'll lose her too. Which is why they _can't _find out about her. I can't even take the _slightest risk _that they'd find out about her."

He paused. He then turned back to the dummy and found his firing stance again. "I've lost a lot of friends, Garrus. I can't risk losing the only one I've got left." he summarized his argument.

"...This crew trusts you, Chief." Garrus said. He turned around and walked back to the elevator. "Eventually, you'll have to return the favor."

With that, the elevator door shut, leaving the Spartan to resume his target practice.

He made a mental note to remove Garrus Vakarian from the combat team roster. Eletania would be his last mission on the team. After that, he'll be dropped off at the next port. The Turian was becoming more trouble than he was worth. Ashley can easily fill his role as designated marksman and the Chief himself can take on her old master-of-arms role in addition to team leader. However, he won't tell anyone about it until after Saren has been dealt with. The Master Chief can't risk destabilizing team cohesion and morale.

The Master Chief then questioned if he should be bringing Garrus with him to Eletania at all. His trust in the Spartan has clearly been compromised, and it may affect his performance. Still, this was by far the Chief's most important assignment yet. He needed everyone to pull their weight, and that meant Garrus too. Hopefully the discipline and professionalism Turian soldiers were so famous for will keep personal conflicts from clouding Garrus's judgement. He'll keep a close eye on him though, just to be safe.

Chief carried on his target for another hour before deciding to call it in. It would be wise to go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow was looking to be a long day.

...

**Nice to see I was able to pump out this chapter fairly quick. However, I think it's safe to say that the next chapter is DEFINITELY going to take longer. So yeah. See ya in three weeks**


	27. A Long Way From Home

_"Could you sacrifice me to complete your mission?"_

_There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering._

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_"Could you watch me die?"_

_Minds being tormented._

_Blood splattering on the ground._

_Screeching of the damned._

_Eyes that spoke eons of malice._

_Weeping._

_Death._

_Loss._

_A star._

_"I am your shield."_

_A planet._

_"I am your sword."_

_A light in the darkness._

_"Don't let her go. Don't _ever _let her go."_

_"Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it."_

_A monster._

_A roar._

_"Do not be afraid. I am peace. I am salvation."_

...

The Master Chief's eyes opened. "Time?" he calmly asked.

"0551 hours. You're nine minutes early." Cortana said. "I can also see some sweat on your brow. You okay?"

The Spartan wiped his fingers across his forehead and indeed felt some moisture there. Odd. He hadn't woken up in a cold sweat since he was eight.

"...I'm fine." Chief replied. He rose from his bed and started putting on his armor. No harm in starting his day a little early.

...

0737 Hours, March 6th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Undisclosed Location in the Attican Beta Cluster

...

After breakfast, the Master Chief spent much of that morning reviewing the STG reports of the Geth activity on Eletania. Half to make sure that he knew what he'd be getting into, half to shake off that bad dream he had.

He had already concocted a plan. The _Normandy _would enter the system with stealth systems active and do both a surface scan and an orbital scan of Eletania. Additionally, he wanted all radio chatter monitored. Once they learned where Saren himself was, they'd move on to the next phase of the plan.

If it turned out that Saren was on the planet's surface, the _Normandy _will do a simple mako drop. Standard operating procedure for surface operations. If it turned out that Saren was on a ship in the fleet, the Spartan and his combat team would equip themselves with T-packs and manually board whatever vessel Saren was on. Chief hoped it would end up being the former scenario. If the Geth fleet was as big as STG reports claim, boarding a vessel in the middle of that fleet would be very risky, especially if the vessel in question turned out to be the _Sovereign_.

Overall, the plan was fairly simple. Find Saren, go in, get him, and then get out. Unfortunately, such plans were never that simple in practice.

The Master Chief walked through the CIC and walked up to the podium overlooking the galaxy map. He knew they were getting close to their destination. He knew that careful tactical positioning of the _Normandy _could make or break this final mission. He needed to be a ship captain. The Spartan took a few deep breaths, remembering Admiral Whitcomb's record.

Admiral Danforth Whitcomb was one of the greatest admirals the UNSC had during the Human-Covenant War. His accomplishments during the Battle of New Constantinople and the Siege of the Atlas Moons were well-documented. As such, studying the Admiral's record was part of the Chief's SPARTAN-II training. He even had the good fortune of meeting Admiral Whitcomb before he sacrificed himself to save Earth from a massive Covenant fleet.

Since becoming the official captain of the _Normandy_, Chief had been reviewing Whitcomb's record, hoping that studying and emulating Whitcomb's commanding style would bring the Spartan the same kind of victories it brought to the admiral. Up until now, the Chief had been lucky that most of his missions and assignments were ground side, where a Spartan was most at home. But with a Geth fleet in orbit around the target destination, he'd have to step out of his element and command the ship itself. If ever there was a time for all those studies on the good admiral's tactics to pay off, this was it.

"Five minutes out, Master Chief." Joker's voice reported over the intercom.

"Drop out of FTL on the edge of the system." the Spartan ordered. "I wanna dip my toe in the water before jumping in." It seemed like something Whitcomb would do. He was bold, but he would always prefer to know what he was charging at before doing so.

"Aye aye." Joker replied.

Five minutes came and went, and they dropped out of FTL on the very edge of the Hercules system. The galaxy map zoomed in from the galactic level to the solar level. The Spartan noted that the ship was fairly close to the outer most planet in the system. "Pressly, what's that?" Chief said, pointing to the planet.

"Zatorus, sir." Pressly answered, bringing up the galactic survey codex. "Pretty standard hydrogen-helium gas giant from the looks of it."

Chief smiled underneath his helmet. He was in luck. According to the solar map, Zatorus was currently in the 'southwestern' corner of its orbit around Hercules, while Eletania was directly above it, directly 'west' of the system's star. He could easily do a long-range scan of Eletania from Zatorus's shadow.

"Engage passive stealth systems." Chief ordered. "Then take us into high orbit above the dark side of Zatorus. We're gonna use it as cover."

"Aye aye, Master Chief." Joker replied.

Chief smiled. This was exactly the kind of tactic Whitcomb would use, because he had used it before. During the Siege of the Atlas Moons, lying in wait in orbit above the dark side of Atlas's moons and launching ambushes from them was one of the admiral's favorite tricks. Once a ship was in a planetary body's shadow, it was instantly shrouded in darkness. This, combined with her built-in stealth systems, would make the _Normandy_ absolutely undetectable.

As they came into the gas giant's orbit, Chief noted that, unlike other Alliance vessels or even UNSC vessels back in the 26th century, the ship's commanding officer, in this case himself, was high above the crewmen. Also, the CIC was indeed aft of the bridge. According to the codex, these were staples of Turian ship design, as Turians preferred being above their subordinates rather than among them. The Alliance wanted to try out this layout for themselves to see how effective it was, even going so far as to enlist aid from the Turian Hierarchy to help build the ship.

So far, the Spartan had no complaints about this design format. Maybe the Turians were onto something.

Joker looked out the window and watched as Zatorus's surface went from amber-gold to black as they entered the jovian planet's shadow. "We're in the dark." Joker reported. "Kinda wish I had a nightlight. Or my blankie."

"Boogeyman's the least of our problems." Chief remarked. He turned to Pressly. "We have an LOS on Eletania?"

"Negative." Pressly reported.

"Joker. Keep orbiting the planet until we have an LOS on Eletania. Once we do, I want a complete long-range scan of the planet. Radio, radar, thermal imaging, everything." Chief rattled off the orders. He was pleased to hear 'aye's' all around.

"ETA to LOS, 180 seconds." Pressly reported.

"Hey, since you're free for three minutes, can I talk to you about something?" Cortana suddenly asked.

Chief clicked off his external speakers and ship comm line. "Yes?" he asked.

He saw a screen appear on his heads-up display. He recognized several documents as being things he wrote on his PC in his personal quarters. He saw one document brought up, with one line highlighted.

_Combat Team Roster_

_Garrus Vakarian_

_Species: Turian_

_Role: Designated Marksman_

_Status: Due to be removed at earliest convenience._

"Explain." Cortana sternly said.

"He's insubordinate." Chief replied.

"What are you talking about? Every order you've ever given him, he's followed." Cortana countered. "Wrex may have been insubordinate with you, what with executing a POW without your authorization, but Garrus? I mean, sure, he's a bit of a cowboy cop, but that's just part of his charm."

"Wait." Cortana suddenly said just as the Chief opened his mouth to reply. "Is this because he knows about me?"

"...Yes." Chief replied. It was true, in a certain way.

"He said he'd keep me secret, and you kept him on then." Cortana argued.

"I changed my mind."

"Why?" the AI instantly quizzed.

"I realized keeping him on after what happened with Saleon was a mistake." Chief replied.

"But you wouldn't suddenly realize it out of the blue. Something happened to make you reach that conclusion, so what happened?" Cortana pressed.

"60 seconds until we have LOS." Pressly reported.

Chief nodded to the navigator. "We'll talk about this after the mission." Chief said.

"Fine." Cortana replied, not sounding happy about it.

...

The Master Chief had already given the order to all combat team personnel to equip themselves in the garage. Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, Wrex, Tali, Liara and N'tho were all suited, armed, and ready for combat. All they were doing now was waiting on the Spartan's orders.

They all found ways of occupying the time. Ashley, Kaidan and Liara were all polishing rifles, the former two helping the latter with weapon assembly and disassembly. Well, Kaidan helped Liara. Ashley just stood there and snickered whenever Liara made a mistake. Tali went back into engineering to help the rest of the engineering team monitor the drive core. Wrex and N'tho were arguing over who would win in a fight; Rukth 'Kilkar or Nakmor Krall.

As for Garrus, he was doing what he had taken to doing whenever he got bored aboard the _Normandy. _He calibrated the mako. "Damn thing gets out of alignment after every drop." Garrus muttered as he tuned the vehicle's suspension. He was calibrating it from underneath, lying on a mag board, two Turian feet sticking out from underneath. He growled several choice curses that were only known in C-Sec as he tried to fix the mako's suspension.

"Garrus, we need to talk."

The Turian nearly jumped out from underneath the vehicle in shock. "Er...Cortana?" Garrus asked after having heard the AI's voice in his head.

"In the data." Cortana merrily replied. "Chief doesn't know I'm talking to you. We don't have a lot of time, so I'll cut to the chase. You and the Master Chief had an argument last night. I want details."

"Er, how did you-"

"I figured it out." Cortana interrupted Garrus's question, knowing before hand what it was he would ask.

"Well...promise you won't get mad." Garrus started.

"Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." Cortana rattled off as a response.

Garrus paused.

"Means I promise." Cortana elaborated.

"Right." Garrus said with a nod. Human idioms weren't his strong suit, and he had no idea what to make of that nonsense Cortana just said. "Well...I...might...have tried to engineer a scenario in which the Master Chief might confess your existence to the _Normandy _crew."

"...Once again; I want details." Cortana said.

...

"We have an LOS." Pressly reported. "Running scans now."

Master Chief zoomed the galaxy map in on Zatorus and the _Normandy's _position relative to the planet. This was getting risky. They were right on the edge of the planet's dark side. Any further and they would've entered the twilight area where they'd be more visible. Granted, they'd only be visible in the purely physical sense, but less exposed the ship was, the better.

After a couple of minutes, they got results. "Scanners show a massive fleet in orbit over Eletania. Counting five dreadnoughts, fifteen cruisers, and the _Sovereign _herself." Negulesco reported over the ship's com.

Chief furrowed his brow. On the one hand, the fleet was every bit as big as the Chief feared and then some. On the other, the presence of Saren's flagship seemed to confirm that Saren himself was indeed in the system. He was on the right trail, but the trail was leading him right into the lion's den. "Surface activity?" Chief asked.

"That's the weird part sir." Negulesco went on. "Surface radio transmissions are minimal. It's like there's barely anyone on the surface."

"Wait, I thought Eletania had Prothean ruins." Pressly asked. "If that's true, the surface should be crawling with Geth."

Chief thought it over for a second. He needed more intel. And there was only one way to get it. "Engage silent running. Plot an FTL jump to Eletania's orbit then run a radio scan. I wanna know what they're talking about down there."

"Aye aye Chief." Joker replied over the ship com. "We are now running silent. Plotting FTL jump."

...

"After that, I had enough." Garrus said. "So I just turned around and went back to the elevator. And here we are."

Garrus heard silence on the other end. Then, a sad, tired sigh. "I'm not surprised." Cortana replied after Garrus finished the story.

The Turian paused and then shook his head. "I should apologize to him." he mumbled out. "I shouldn't have pushed him so hard on it. You're the only friend from the 26th century he has left so of course he'd be hesitant to risk word of your existence getting to the Council. I should've been more understanding of his-"

"Actually, I think you might be right." Cortana interrupted. The Turian was a bit surprised by that. "I've been watching him at night. I've seen him spend nearly almost all his time in his armor and in his quarters. He's lonely."

"What do you mean?" Garrus asked. "He's got you to keep him company, doesn't he?"

"Yes, but I shouldn't be all he has." the AI explained. "Sometimes I bug him about getting out of his quarters more. Talk with the crew more. But he rarely does. And I think it's getting worse."

"Has he always been this withdrawn?" Garrus asked.

"Sort of. There's something you need to know about Spartans, Garrus." Cortana elaborated. "They all kept to themselves, only ever opening up to each other. They shared secrets with each other, supported one another, even called each other by their first names. But there are no more Spartans, Garrus. Chief is the very last one. He doesn't think he can do any of that with the people on this ship. But I was hoping that, eventually, he would."

"...As well as tell the crew about you." Garrus stated as he put two and two together.

"Once he was ready, yeah." Cortana confirmed.

"Is he?"

"No." The AI paused. "I don't know if he'll ever be." she sadly added.

The two were silent for a few seconds. "So what happens now?" Garrus asked.

"...I'll get back to you on that." Cortana said as she cut off the com link with the Turian.

...

The _Normandy _came out of FTL directly above Eletania. The galactic map zoomed in to the planetary level, revealing that they were just a few hundred miles away from the Geth fleet. Chief kept his eye on the _Sovereign. _It resembled a giant squid. The Spartan then remembered one of Deja's history lessons from his childhood training on Reach; how the ancient Greeks believed that there were sea monsters lurking in the depths of the Aegean Sea, waiting to attack unsuspecting ships. He wondered if the _Sovereign's _original designers intentionally built the ship to resemble a sea monster in order to invoke that primal and archaic fear for psychological effect.

"Intercepting some radio chatter..." Negulesco reported over the CIC com. "...Hello. Chief you're gonna wanna hear this. I think we have something." she said before putting the transmission over the com.

"Hey Worsh. How you holdin' up?" a voice asked, Krogan from the sounds of it.

"Like shit." the other voice, presumably Worsh's, replied. "Damn place goes on forever. Down and down and down and down. Fifty creds says we reach the planet's core before we find the Registry."

"Hey, at least you're ground side." the other voice countered. "I'm walking on the same damn patrol route as always, with nothing to shoot. Like anyone's gonna be dumb enough to board a dreadnought."

"Hey, I've got Saren himself down here riding my ass! You wanna switch places? Cuz I'd love some time out in space right about now."

"What _is _this Registry thing anyway?"

"Fucked if I know! You know how Saren works. EVERYTHING is on a 'need-to-know' basis. Whatever it is, I hope we find it soon, and I DOUBLE-HOPE that there's something in it that I can shoot at cuz I would _love _to shoot something today. Worsh out." With that, the transmission was cut off.

The Registry? Chief didn't know what that was, but he already knew enough. It was something Saren wanted, which meant it was something that the Spartan had to stop him from getting.

"Sounds like the ruins are underground." Negulesco noted. "Would explain why there don't seem to be many Geth on the surface. They're actually _underneath _the surface."

"Looks like you're going ground side." Pressly observed as he turned to the Spartan. The Chief sighed in relief. He would much rather engage Saren on the planet's surface than on board the _Sovereign. _Not for the first time, the Chief caught a lucky break.

"Tell the mako crew to prep for a drop." Chief ordered. He keyed Engineering. "Adams. How much longer can we keep stealth systems engaged before we start to cook?" This was the _Normandy's _weakness. She stayed hidden by storing heat emissions in lithium heat sinks deep within her hull. However, the ship could only store the heat for so long before it started cooking the crew alive.

"I'd say two, maybe three hours." Adams answered.

The Spartan keyed off Engineering. "Keep running silent until you make the drop and then find someplace to land." Chief rattled off the orders.

"On Eletania, sir?" Pressly asked.

"They won't think to look for an enemy ship on the planet's surface." Chief elaborated. "Switch back to passive stealth once you land. We don't know how long we'll be down there."

"Aye sir." Pressly said with a crisp salute.

...

Once the elevator door opened, the Master Chief could already see his squad lining up by the mako. _Normandy _servicemen were just in the middle of finishing the mako's final preparations, doing last-minute calibrations and the like. The Spartan walked past his squad and grabbed his weapons from the weapons bench. Once he was outfitted, he walked back to the squad and began addressing them.

"Alright. Here's what we know. Saren is currently in some kind of underground complex, likely Prothean in origin. He's looking for something called 'The Registry.' We don't know what it is, but if Saren wants it, it can't be good. Ultimately though, it won't matter. Our objective here is simple. Head in, apprehend Saren, and then head out. He won't be alone as the complex is likely crawling with opposition so expect heavy resistance. Geth, Krogan, possibly even Asari Commandos. I'm willing to bet Benezia has a few of those under her employ. Keep it tight, keep together, and we should make it through this. Questions?"

Garrus raised his hand. "You said we're going to _apprehend _Saren?" the Turian asked.

"Yes. There a problem?" Chief asked.

...

"Okay Garrus." Cortana said to the Turian via radio. "I know what you're going to say, but considering that fight you had with Chief last night, I think you should really just keep your mouth-"

"I'm worried the Council might be protecting Saren." Garrus began.

"...shut." Cortana finished.

"I mean, they were really dragging their heels before." the Turian went on. "What if we find him, bring him back to the Citadel and they refuse to act?"

"Your point?" Chief asked.

"My point is maybe we shouldn't give them the chance." Garrus stated resolutely. "In my opinion, Saren's too dangerous to be kept alive."

"Garrus, _please _drop it.'" Cortana pleaded. "He is REALLY not in the mood right now."

The AI's pleas fell on deaf ears. Apparently, Garrus felt too strongly about this to let Cortana talk him out of it. "Too much could happen. He could escape or the Council might let him go. When we find him, I say we make sure we stop him _permanently._" Garrus finished.

Cortana cut communications with the Turian and privately pleaded with the Master Chief.

...

"Okay Chief." Cortana began. "Now I know what you're thinking, but cut him some slack. He's young, he's headstrong..."

Chief wasn't having it. He walked up to the Turian and glared at him through his visor. "We're under orders from the Council to apprehend, _or failing that, _eliminate him. So unless we genuinely fail in the former, we're not going with the latter."

"But what's the point in keeping him ali-"

"Stow it." Chief cut off the Turian mid-sentence. "This is not an assassination mission, and neither the Council nor the Alliance has told me otherwise. We're doing this one by the books."

Chief heard Wrex scoff at that. His head snapped to the Krogan. "You have something to add?"

"Cut the crap." Wrex said. "You wanna kill Saren with your bare hands as much as the rest of us do. So why hold back?"

"Hell, I'm with Garrus and the dinofrog." N'tho chimed in. "I say when we find him, smoke him."

"And you're a Spectre." Tali added. "You have the power to do that kind of thing if you so choose, yes?"

"_Enough._" Chief stated resolutely. "You're all supposed to be professional soldiers. Act like it. Unless I give the order, no one's killing Saren. Is that clear?"

The Chief heard a round of half-hearted 'yes sir's.'

"I said, _is that clear_?"

This time, he got slightly more enthusiastic 'yes sir's.'

"Good. Do a last minute equipment check and then pile into the mako. We drop in ten." Chief ordered.

As the Master Chief began checking his weapons and armor, he pondered what had just transpired. About half the squad agreed with Garrus's dissension. _Dissension_. The Chief didn't need that on his team. When he accepted these non-Humans into the team, he did so in the belief that they'd be useful to him and the mission. Now he saw that Rear Admiral Mikhailovich was right. Having so many non-Humans on board the _Normandy _was a poor decision, but not for the reasons he claimed.

Chief sighed out of resignation, disappointment and frustration all at once. He had tried to make this band of misfits into something resembling a proper ground team. Truly he did. But the gears in this war machine simply refused to fit together. Garrus was questioning the Chief's authority. Wrex killed a prisoner with no orders to do so. N'tho was a reckless idiot whose antics could put the entire team at risk. Tali was alright, but she too joined in Garrus's dissension. The Spartan couldn't have that. Besides, she was just a civilian anyway. Officially, she wasn't suitable for this kind of campaign. Liara was the only non-Human who really had any business on the ship, being a Prothean expert, and even she might end up outliving her usefulness once Saren was brought into custody. They were all liabilities to one degree or another.

The Master Chief resolved that, once this mission was over and they hand over Saren to the Council, the Chief would relieve them all of service. Wrex can go back to being a freelance mercenary. N'tho can go back to Empire Spec. Ops. Garrus didn't really have anywhere to go, since he resigned from C-Sec to join the Spartan's team, but that was his problem, not Chief's. It might actually do Tali some good to let her go. It was doubtful that she'd find anything for her pilgrimage in the Spartan's service. Liara might be kept on if the Council or the Alliance brass still wants to find and secure the Conduit before someone else does, but that was a very big might. Liara was certainly not the only archaeologist with Prothean expertise that could be called in, and since she was the daughter of a traitor, the Alliance probably would want some other Prothean expert on Chief's team; one that wasn't as big of a security risk in their eyes. Ashley and Kaidan would likely be kept on, since their posting on the _Normandy _actually falls within regulation. The Chief could easily call in some other marines or maybe even some ODST's to fill the gaps in his combat team. The Alliance would certainly be willing to grant such a simple request from the first Human Spectre and last living Spartan.

Yes. They all helped him. They all fought beside him. They were even able to keep up with him after a while. But at the end of the day, they were easily replaceable.

...

"Touching down in 3...2...1."

The mako jerked as it made contact with the planet's surface as Kaidan counted down to one. The Chief looked out the window. The mako had landed in a mountainous region, large rocky hills surrounding them on all sides. The area was covered in green, but according to the codex, it wasn't grass but rather some kind of algae.

"_Normandy _to ground team. Come in ground team." Joker said over the mako's comm.

"Ground team here." Chief replied.

"We pinpointed the radio chatter from earlier. It came from seven klicks west of your current position." Joker reported.

"Acknowledged." Chief replied. "Keep running silent until you find a place to hide. We'll radio you for pickup once we have Saren in an LZ."

"Roger that. Monica found us a cozy little spot to settle in about thirty-five klicks to the north. Give us a holler you need anything. _Normandy _out." Joker finished. With that, he cut the comm and Chief saw the _Normandy _fly overhead, disappearing over the mountain range.

Chief turned the wheel to start taking the mako west. For the first couple of kilometers, the ride was smooth enough, the terrain being fairly even. However, as the ride went on, the road started getting bumpy, to the point where the team were glad that the Mako had seat belts. The turbulence didn't seem to phase the Chief though. He just kept on driving, looking straight ahead, only shifting direction to drive around things too big to drive over and resuming course.

Six and a half kilometers into their journey, the mako ran into a formidable obstacle; a cliff face. Chief looked to his left and his right. The cliff wall went on for seemingly miles in both directions. "Great. Now what?" Ashley asked as she too saw the situation from her seat in the turret.

"This thing's got vertically aligned mass effect fields, right?" Chief asked.

"Yeah." Kaidan replied. He was riding shotgun. "It's equipped with a small element zero core that can be used to increase mass and provide...greater...traction." he said that last part slowly as he suddenly realized what the Spartan wanted to do. He looked over his shoulder to address the rest of the squad in the passenger compartment. "Hold on to something."

The Spartan fired up the mako's eezo core and then slammed on the gas petal. The Mako charged straight into the cliff wall. On impact, its nose shot upwards and its tires found traction. The mako began to slowly climb up the wall.

The squad members in the passenger compartment immediately felt the effects. They seemed to slide towards the back of the vehicle. "I'm flattered Liara, but I'm afraid I don't feel the same about you." Wrex wryly commented as the poor Asari found herself leaning on the Krogan's shoulder against her will.

"Woohoo! It's like a tilt-a-whirl!" N'tho said as he put his hands up.

"I think I'm going to be sick..." Tali whined.

"Exactly!" N'tho pointed out.

"...I _hate _you." Tali hissed at the Sangheili.

The Master Chief kept the petal to the floor as the mako struggled to scale the cliff, its tires spinning furiously but ultimately moving slowly. The Spartan had done battle with many foes before, but now he was fighting one of his most relentless and toughest opponents yet. Gravity.

"Uh, Chief." Kaidan said. "We're slowing down. I don't think we're gonna make it."

"We'll make it." Chief said. He subconsciously pressed more weight on the foot that was pressing the gas pedal to the floor, as if that would somehow give the mako enough strength to clear the cliff's edge. The mako seemed to slow down more and more, eventually coming to a snail's pace.

"Chief-"

"We'll make it." Chief interrupted Kaidan before the biotic could protest again. He put even more weight down on the gas pedal.

Then, after what felt like hours of going at a snail's pace, the mako suddenly reached an invisible threshold where it began to slowly gain speed. It went faster and faster at much the same rate it went slower and slower earlier. Then, at long last, it cleared the cliff edge. It came to a stop three meters away from the edge on solid ground. The Spartan let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding in, as did the rest of the team.

After taking a nanosecond to catch his breath, Chief looked out in front of him. Before him was what seemed to be a maze of rocks that seemed to stick out of the ground like pillars, each one a soothing mix of grey and blue. "Terrain's ahead too rough for even the mako sir." Kaidan reported. "I strongly recommend proceeding on foot."

"Anything on long-range motion sensors?" Chief asked.

"Negative." Kaidan reported. "Picking up a little radio chatter about half a klick west though. Guess we're on the right track."

"Alright people." Chief said. "Seal up your suits and then pile out."

...

The squad slowly made their way through the Eletanian rocks. It was a labyrinth of stone pillars and caves, of broken rocks and overhangs. The Spartan noticed that he and the squad left distinct footprints in the moss that covered the ground in some spots. He ordered Garrus to stick to the rear and cover their tracks, and ordered the rest of the squad to avoid stepping in any moss if possible. He didn't want to leave any hint that they passed through here. They'd be discovered by enemy patrols, and he knew that patrols passed through here, judging from the Krogan footprints that weren't Wrex's.

All was quiet. The only sound heard was the low howling of the wind that blew through the rocks. The Spartan glanced up at the sky. It was cloudy, but he could see glowing cracks in the clouds, as if the sunlight was trying to break through but the cloud cover was holding firm. If he squinted, he could just make out the outline of Eletania's moon, which looked considerably larger than Earth's. Overall, the skyline was a very serene sight and would almost be soothing to look at were it not for the knowledge that an entire fleet's worth of Geth floated in orbit directly above them.

It was then that the Spartan saw a white dot on his motion radar. He held up the 'unknown ahead, wait' hand signal. "Movement." he quietly said.

"Geth?" Ashley asked.

"It was marked neutral." Chief replied. "Tali. Could the Geth have changed their IFF signatures?"

"Possibly." Tali replied.

"Orders?" Kaidan asked.

"Keep moving. Stay alert. Check your targets." Chief ordered. "Don't shoot if you don't have to. Gunshots make too much noise."

They all proceeded forward, this time with weapons raised. Chief, Garrus, Kaidan and Ashley had their assault rifles out. N'tho and Wrex favored their shotguns, while Tali and Liara kept their needlers at the ready. They were also moving a little more slowly now, more cautiously. They didn't want to make anymore noise than they had to, lest they alert whatever is out there to their presence.

Chief held up the 'unknown ahead' sign again as he saw the white dot reappear on his motion sensor. "Neutral target incoming. Get ready." He warned as he and his team aimed down the sights of their weapons. The target then came out from behind a large rock in front of them and walked directly into their path.

"...Is that a monkey?" Ashley asked as the strange creature revealed itself. Ashley's comment wasn't far off, as it did indeed resemble Earth's primates. It had a long tail as well as long arms and fingers. Its legs were considerably shorter than its arms. Its hears were round and fan-shaped while its face was very long, reminding the Chief of an anteater. Finally, it had a pair of big, round, saucer-like black eyes.

"Pyjak, actually." N'tho explained. Wrex growled at the little creature. "They're a common pest species. Kind of like varren, but nowhere near as vicious. There's probably a whole colony of them nearby that was brought here by some merchant ship or something."

"I thought non-native life-forms couldn't survive in Eletania's atmosphere." Chief said as he lowered his weapon. Doubtful the pyjak posed much of a threat.

"Pyjaks are extremely adaptable. Their lungs probably fully adapted to the microbes in the air after a few generations." N'tho elaborated. Once they realized that there was no nearby threat, everyone lowered their weapons. Everyone except Wrex, who kept his shotgun pointed at the pyjak.

"Wrex, no." Chief sternly ordered. "Gunshots make too much noise, remember?"

"But it's a _pyjak_." Wrex said. "I _hate _pyjaks."

"Do not. Shoot. The monkey." Chief slowly ordered.

Wrex snarled at that. He relented and put his shotgun away.

He then biotically pulled the pyjak towards him and snapped its neck before it even had a chance to screech.

"...I didn't shoot it." Wrex said.

"...We should keep moving." Chief said, wanting to put this whole incident behind him.

The squad continued on like that for several more minutes. They were only a few hundred meters from their destination now, but between the rocky terrain and the desire for quiet movement, it was slow going.

So far, they saw no sign of the Geth, which Chief supposed shouldn't be too surprising. If that radio transmission was anything to go on, most of the groundside Geth would be in the underground ruins. But still, it felt like they should've at least encountered a small patrol team by now. All this quiet was making the Spartan nervous. A still quiet was rarely a good thing this deep behind enemy lines.

The Spartan then felt something hit his chest. He pulled out his assault rifle and, mentally tracking the air trajectory of the object, pointed it towards the assailant.

Three pyjaks on top of a tall stack of rocks to his left. They then scurried out of sight, giggling mischievously. The Spartan looked down at his chest to see what hit him.

"Sorry Chief but according to chemical scans...that's not mud." Cortana informed him. Chief scowled as he brushed the foul substance off his armor.

"And now you know why I hate pyjaks." Wrex stated.

...

After nearly an hour of carefully making their way around the rocks, they arrived at the mouth of a cave that lead into the side of a mountain. The entrance was about fifteen feet high and twenty feet across. "This it?" Ashley asked.

"According to the coordinates _Normandy _sent us." Kaidan replied.

"We know there are many Geth in the ruins, yes?" Tali asked. "This entrance seems a little small for a force that size."

"There's probably a bigger entrance somewhere nearby." Kaidan suggested.

"But if that's true and the ruins have multiple entrances then...Goddess." Liara said as she put the pieces together in her head. "Whatever kind of complex Saren found must be massive. We just might find a beacon here or-"

The Asari was cut off by a loud gunshot. Followed a few seconds later by another. Chief checked his motion radar. One red dot fourteen meters away. He took out his assault rifle. "Tali, with me. Everyone else stay here and secure a perimeter around this cave. Don't head in until I'm back." With that, the Spartan trotted off towards the gunfire, Quarian in tow.

They kept low, crouching and ducking behind the rocks. They eventually found the source of the gunfire. It was a Krogan shooting at the pyjaks with a shotgun. He was probably supposed to be guarding the cave they just found, but apparently got bored and decided to terrorize some helpless primates to pass the time. The two of them crouched behind the rock to stay out of sight.

"Tali, get ready to overload his shields on my mark." Chief ordered as he put away his assault rifle. "Mark."

Tali stood up and thrust her omni-tool out, disabling the Krogan warrior's shields. Before the Krogan even knew what hit him, Chief stood up, slid over the top of the rock and ran right up to the Krogan. The alien saw the Spartan coming and tried to throw a punch.

Spartan time kicked in.

Chief caught the punch in his left hand and did a hard right uppercut to the Krogan's stomach, cracking the armor there. He let go of the Krogan's fist but then used that same hand to hit the alien with a left cross right to the eyehole, shattering it open. Chief could see the surprise and anger in the alien's green eye. He finished off with a heal kick right to the Krogan's stomach, cracking the armor even worse and knocking the alien warrior to the ground. He stood his ground kept his fists up as the Krogan tried to stand back up.

"Hold fire." he said over TEAMCOM as he noticed Tali rising out of cover with needler in hand. "Wait for it."

"Wait for what?" Tali asked. Her question was answered by the sound of coughing, gasping and wheezing. Just as he was able to stand up again, the Krogan suddenly collapsed to his hands knees in front of the Spartan, struggling to breathe. Tali trotted over to the Spartan's side and realized what he had done. She turned to the Chief.

"You were trying to rupture his suit." she said.

"And it worked." Chief said. Letting him choke on the atmosphere's microbes wouldn't make as much noise as simply shooting the guard outright. The Krogan fell to the ground and laid on his side, his arms and legs twitching. Eventually, the twitching stopped and the Krogan's body went limp.

The Spartan turned to Tali. "I'll search him for anything useful. Get back to the cave and make sure the perimeter's secure."

"Yes sir." the Quarian quietly replied as she headed back to the cave. As she walked away, Chief grunted.

She was unnerved by what he just did. He knew that. He killed the Krogan by cracking open holes in his suit and letting the micro-organisms in the air do the dirty work for him. As a Quarian, Tali could easily die the same way, not just on Eletania but in any sort of environment that wasn't clean of any sort of germ. So the prospect of inflicting such a fate on someone else, even indirectly, probably left a bad taste in her mouth.

The Master Chief remembered his first few Spartan missions; not the Counter-Covenant assignments. The ones that got heavily publicized and made him out to be a hero. The Counter-Insurrectionist ones. The ones he was originally trained for. Assassinating insurrectionist leaders. Destroying entire bases. The horrible things that are done for the greater good. Chief couldn't honestly say he liked doing any of those things, but he fully understood the necessity of those black operations and carried them out without the slightest hesitation.

People like Tali though? She'd hesitate.

The Master Chief had a feeling that, once Saren was brought in, the remainder of his career as a Spectre would be spent running five black ops for every successful op that got spun into a heroic tail and then released to the public. Chief didn't want to bring Tali into those kinds of missions. She wasn't cut out for them and, admittedly, he liked her too much to drag her into them. Kicking her off the team would be as much for her own as it would be for the good of the mission. Besides, she still had a pilgrimage to complete. He would have to let her go eventually.

The only thing Chief found on the guard's body was a few credits. Taking money out of a dead alien's pocket might have been akin to grave robbing, but it wasn't as though the Krogan would need money anymore. Chief trotted back over to the cave where everyone else was waiting for him. Liara stood right at the edge of the cave's entrance, evidently eager to enter the Prothean complex.

"Form up. We're heading in." Chief said as he stepped into the cave. The squad switched to their assault rifles, shotguns and needlers as they followed the Spartan inside. The inky black was replaced with fuzzy green as the Chief switched to night vision. The cave itself wasn't terribly remarkable. Rock walls, floor and ceiling. Stalagmites and stalactites, everything you'd expect a cave to have. The strange part was that, once they were deeper in, the Chief could make out faint lights in the dark. The light sources looked to be deeper inside.

They came to a halt at a drop in the cave floor. It was an eight-foot drop, hardly anything that would kill them. But there was water below. The Spartan picked up a rock the size of a baseball and tossed it to the water. It made a shallow splash, half of it above the surface. Good. It was only ankle deep.

"One at a time." the Spartan ordered as he leapt off first, his boots making a splash as they landed in the large puddle. One by one, the rest of the squad followed suit and they went deeper into the cave.

At this point, they noted that the floor was no longer uneven like in a naturally-formed cave. Now it was flat and even. As they stepped out of the puddle, the Chief held up the 'unknown ahead' sign and knelt down, examining the floor. Lines had been intricately carved across the rock, creating a criss-cross checkerboard-like pattern.

"Fascinating." Liara said as she knelt down next to the Spartan to examine the carvings herself. "I've never seen this kind pattern in a Prothean ruin before."

"Whatever is in here, I'll bet it's big." Wrex said.

Chief looked up and noticed that the light was very close now. It emanated from a passageway at the end of a corridor of rock. Chief stood up and resumed course. It slowly became obvious to the squad that they were now entering the ruins proper.

"Strange." Liara observed as their surroundings began looking less like a naturally-formed cave and more like a sapient-made structure. "The transition from cave to complex is slow and gradual. As if the ruins and the rock were one. I've never seen that in Prothean architecture before."

They turned the corner and entered a very large chamber, fifty feet by fifty feet. There were seven pillars supporting the roof, each one about fifteen feet apart, one pillar surrounded by the other six in a hexagonal pattern. The Chief turned off night vision as the light of the room began getting a little too bright. The light sources were lamps that hung from the ceiling, and cast the chamber in a dim, eerily calming blue light.

"Spread out and look around." Chief ordered. He walked up to one of the pillars and examined it. At first glance, it looked to be carved from the rock itself. But upon closer examination, Chief noticed that the pillars weren't made from rock, but from some kind of metallic mineral. A maddeningly familiar metallic mineral.

The Spartan dragged his fingers down the surface of the pillar. The letters and symbols carved into the crystal glowed a faint blue when he touched them, and dimmed as he dragged his fingers away. The symbols ranged from semi-triangular to heptagonal in shape and form. The inscriptions were unmistakable in their style.

"Something's wrong here." Liara said as she observed the pillar opposite from the one Chief was examining. "I can't make sense of any of this text. The calligraphy here is different from other sites. I always thought that the Protheans had one homogenous written language but perhaps I was wrong. Maybe this is some kind of alternative-"

"These ruins aren't Prothean." Chief interrupted the Asari. "They're Forerunner."

Liara immediately ceased her rambling and turned towards the Spartan, as did the rest of the squad. "Are...are you certain?" she asked as she approached him.

"Positive." Chief replied. "I'd know Forerunner text anywhere."

"Impossible." Garrus said. "There are no Forerunner ruins outside the Forerunner Cluster. That's why it's _called _the Forerunner Cluster, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Kaidan said with a nod. "So, what are Forerunner ruins doing so far from home?"

"I knew it!" Liara triumphantly said. "The Forerunners DID expand beyond their home cluster! They DID spread across the galaxy like the Protheans who succeeded them! These ruins prove it!"

"But I don't understand." Tali said. "Up until now, Saren has only demonstrated interest in Prothean ruins. Why the sudden interest in Forerunners?"

"The Registry must be some kind of Forerunner relic." Liara speculated. "But what does it have to do with a Prothean relic like the Conduit? That is Saren's true goal, isn't it?"

"Doesn't matter." Chief resolutely said. "Our objective hasn't changed. Find and take in Saren."

It was then Chief heard an odd warping sound coming from the far end of the chamber, as well as a new, brighter source of blue light. He looked to the source of the blue lights and saw Ashley backing away from them, assault rifle at the ready. "What happened?" Chief asked as he trotted over.

"Hell if I know!" Ashley exclaimed in reply. "I was just pressing some buttons on that control panel over there and these things lit up!"

In front of the squad were three beams of blue-white light. Each one was about nine feet high and emanated from a circular pad on the floor. "Relax." Chief said. "They're teleporters." He switched off external speakers as he walked over to the control panel. "Cortana. Mind helping me out here?" he asked as he brought up the teleporter interface.

"Let's see..." Cortana said as she analyzed the text on the screen and ran it through her translation software. "Alright. Each of these teleporters leads to a different part of the complex. The one on the right leads to the Sanctum of Defenders, the one on the left leads to the Planetarium of Ages, and the one in the middle leads to the Grand Hall."

The Spartan paused.

"A security wing, a research wing and a main lobby, respectively." Cortana elaborated. "I'm just guessing, but I think this complex is some sort of research facility."

"What kind of research?" Chief asked.

"Doesn't say here." Cortana replied. "I'd recommend taking the left teleporter, to the research wing. If it's ancient technology that Saren wants, he'll likely be there."

The Spartan nodded as he turned off external speakers. "Er, Chief?" Garrus asked.

"The left teleporter leads to a research facility, the middle one leads to a main lobby and the right one leads to a security department." Chief quickly said.

"You translated the Forerunner text?" Liara incredulously asked. "How did you do it?"

"I did it very well, thank you." Chief answered. "We're heading through the one on the left. If the Registry is a Forerunner relic, it'll be where the relics are. Which means Saren will be there too. Let's move."

With that, the Spartan stepped through the left teleporter and instantly disappeared. No dramatic flash of light or warping of space like you'd see in movies or video games. He simply blinked out of existence. The rest of the squad hesitated for a moment. Garrus then became the first one besides Chief to step through the Forerunner portal. Wrex grunted and charged through the teleporter next, not about to let it look like a Turian was braver than he was. N'tho stepped through after, not wanting to be upstaged by Wrex. Ashley trotted through next, not wanting to be upstaged by N'tho. Kaidan just rolled his eyes as he stepped through himself, followed closely by Liara.

Tali nervously wrung her hands and gulped. "I've got a bad feeling about this..." Tali quietly muttered to herself before heading through the beam of blue light herself.

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Extinct Races): FORERUNNER**

_The Forerunners were an ancient race of sentient beings that lived in what is today known as the Forerunner Cluster some 100,000 years ago. Similar to the Protheans, they were a highly advanced race at the peak of their power, but then disappeared from the face of the galaxy._

_What caused the Forerunner extinction had been a mystery for centuries. Then, in 2552, UNSC and Covenant forces not only discovered the reason behind the Forerunners' downfall, but very nearly experienced it first hand. A race of sentient parasites known as the Flood engaged the Forerunners in a long and bloody war which resulted in the Forerunners' complete extinction. And the Flood would've easily done the same thing to Humanity and the Covenant races were it not for the heroic efforts of several thousand UNSC and Covenant Separatist soldiers._

_Forerunner structures are typically made from a metal-like crystal which is reinforced on a molecular level. As a consequence, many Forerunner ruins are remarkably well-preserved, typically more so than most Prothean structures. Some archaeologists have theorized that Protheans researched this remarkably resilient material and used the knowledge gained to forge the mass relays and the Citadel from a similar material._

_Little is known about the Forerunners' biology, though there is some evidence to suggest that they had a primarily bipedal humanoid appearance, even closely resembling Humans. Some radical Forerunner experts interpret this as evidence that Forerunners are, in fact, ancient ancestors of Humanity, which would also explain why Forerunner technology seems to work better for Humans than it does for other species. However, the majority of archaeologists regard this hypothesis as nonsense. Forerunner technology simply mistakes Humans as Forerunners due to a coincidentally similar biology._

_..._

**Well, time to do what I do at the end of every other chapter; talk about Mass Effect 3's ending and Halo 4.**

**Yes, I downloaded and played through the extended cut ending and honestly? I thought it was a huge upgrade from what we got before. I got to see the Krogan having babies, I got to see Quarians and Geth getting along, we got to question the Catalyst, pretty much everything I didn't like about the old ending was fixed. I know a lot of people are still pissed that they didn't get to have little blue kids with Liara or enjoy brewski's with Garrus on the beach, but I'll defer to Angry Joe's opinion on the extended cut; if THIS was the ending we got to begin with, the outcry over ME3's ending wouldn't have been anywhere NEAR as bad.**

**Though I do have to go on a little rant as to WHY this wasn't the ending we got to begin with. If you'll recall, ME3 was originally going to be released in December of 2011, but it was then pushed back to March of 2012. I was actually relieved when I first heard about that delay. Many people suspected that the reason Dragon Age 2 wasn't so great was because it got rushed out the door too fast. Now Bioware had three extra months to work out any kinks, add in some new stuff, generally make sure that this game was as awesome as it could possibly be.**

**And then we got the Pre-EC ending. The hell? What did Bioware do in those three extra months they were given to work on the game? Multiplayer? Don't get me wrong, ME3 multiplayer is fun as hell, but Mass Effect is a single-player game first and foremost. The single-player campaign should take priority over MP in this case, especially the ending. At first I thought that maybe Bioware ran out of time / money and was all like "Oh crap, this ending's only half-finished. Ah well, who's gonna know?" But again...THREE EXTRA MONTHS. I don't wanna claim I know how long it takes to work on a game but I find it hard to believe that, with three extra months, they never got around to finishing that ending. I also find it hard to believe that a cash-cow franchise like Mass Effect ran out of budget as they neared the end.**

**This means that the reason Bioware went with that ending to begin with is because they legitimately thought it was a good ending. To be fair, I could see why. ME3's original ending had a bit of a 2001: A Space Odyssey thing going on. Casey Hudson even said in an interview that he wanted players to talk about the ending and what it meant. Now, there's nothing wrong with layering a story's ending with ambiguous subtext that invites different players to interpret it in different ways, but an ending like that doesn't work for a story like Mass Effect.**

**Mass Effect isn't like Space Odyssey. Space Odyssey was an exploration of the nature of sentient existence from start to finish. It raised questions like where we come from, what our future is, and what life even means. Mass Effect asks those questions too, but unlike Odyssey, Mass Effect is an adventure story first and foremost. It's a story about a hero leading a ragtag bunch of misfits on a quest to save the galaxy, and its ending should reflect that by giving us resolution; what happened to the hero, his companions, and the galaxy they were trying to save. Yes, Mass Effect asks the same sort of questions Odyssey does (Comparing organic and synthetic life for instance. Though Legion is definitely more cuddly than HAL), but these questions are framed AROUND the adventure, which is the centerpiece of this kind of story. It's like if Return of the Jedi ended with the Death Star and every Imperial star destroyer blowing up and the Millennium Falcon crash landed on some unknown planet. After six years bonding with the characters and witnessing their adventures, the audience would simply be confused and angry about the ending rather than try to interpret its meaning. Those kinds of endings work well for stories like Space Odyssey, but not for stories like Star Wars or Mass Effect.**

**Wow. Didn't intend that rant to be that long. Guess ME3's original ending has that effect on some people. Right, overall, liked the Extended Cut, fixed all the problems with the old ending, actually gave us resolution, and finally props to Bioware for fixing it, and for free no less.**

**Right, onto Halo 4.**

**So the mysterious new enemy in Halo 4 has finally been revealed! Turns out it's not the Precursors as many Halo fans (including myself) speculated, but the Prometheans! Basically, Forerunner robots. Cool. Also there's a lot of scuttlebutt around the fandom that Halo 4's primary antagonist is going to be none other than the Librarian's main squeeze, Didact. It certainly does look that way from the 10th CEA Terminal cutscene, which alludes to the Didact. (I had to watch them on Youtube since I didn't buy CEA. Forty bucks just for a graphical upgrade? No thanks). However, it does raise the question of how Didact survived the last hundred thousand years. Probably froze himself. Hey, it worked for the Chief, why not Didact?**

**The more answers we get about Halo 4, the more questions arise. I like that. Always did like a good ancient mystery.**

**Right. Next update next week. Yes, you read right. NEXT WEEK. A: the next chapter should be considerably shorter than this one, and B: I need to learn to discipline myself more and FORCE myself to write if need be. I know some of you are gonna say I shouldn't rush myself, but I hope to be a professional writer one day, and that won't happen until I learn some self-discipline**


	28. Cold Storage

**I'm a few days late, but this chapter still came out quicker than usual, so I'm still counting this as a win.**

...

1007 Hours, March 6th, 2683

Underground Forerunner Complex, Beneath the Surface of Eletania

Hercules System, Atiican Beta Cluster

...

The squad teleported into a large, empty chamber with a domed ceiling. The floor was made from the Forerunners' signature metallic mineral, but the real eye-catcher in the room was the domed ceiling. It seemed to act as a giant mirror, reflecting back highly distorted images of the team. A band of blue light occasionally pulsed across the dome's surface.

"The Planetarium of Ages, I presume." Kaidan commented.

"I'm not picking up any Eletanian micro-organisms in here Chief." Cortana reported. "The air in here is breathable. Looks like the the complex's air filtration systems still work."

"The air here is breathable." Chief said to his squad. "Unseal your suits and refill your oxygen tanks."

As they did this, the squad absently looked up at the reflective ceiling. Chief grunted at this. "We're not here to sight-see." he sternly said. "Let's move." He began walking towards the one and only door that led out of the room.

As they came to the doorway, the squad walked by a control panel. Liara lingered at the panel and thought about activating it. She reached for one of the switches.

Only for a hand to clamp around her wrist. She looked up to see the Chief's golden visor. "Don't touch anything." he flatly said before letting the Asari's hand go. The Spartan resumed course out of the domed room.

They exited the domed room and emerged into a massive hallway; a floor that was seven meters wide and a ceiling that was ten meters high. The ceiling was black with twinkling lights, looking for all the universe like a night sky. The floor was tiled with interlocking Forerunner symbols, and three rows of pillars ran the length of the corridor.

"Cover." Chief ordered as he took cover behind one of the pillars, each member of his squad doing the same. He unfolded his sniper rifle and aimed down the hallway through the rifle's scope. He could see a door leading to another room about fifty yards away. There were also some windows that let in light on the right wall about halfway down the hall. No sign of Geth.

"Garrus. Ashley. Check your sniper scopes for Geth." he ordered before receiving green acknowledgement lights from both. They were each hiding behind a pillar to on the left and right side of the corridor, while he was in the middle. They could check the corridors from angles he couldn't check from.

Garrus and Ashley both winked green. It was clear, at least on their end. Chief still had his doubts. It was a long corridor with only these pillars as cover. It was an ideal spot for an ambush. On the other hand, Saren was still unaware of the Spartan's presence here. They might encounter a patrol in here, but a carefully laid-out trap wasn't as likely unless he was expecting company. Which actually would be a real possibility, now that the Chief thought about it. By now, Saren was probably wondering why he suddenly lost contact with the Feros invasion force. He might've figured out by now that trouble was on its way and took the necessary precautions.

The Chief finally came to a decision. "Move forward two at a time. Keep to the pillars for cover. Quick and quiet." It technically wasn't a decision at all. This was the only way out of the planetarium. They had nowhere left to go but forward. The sooner they got out of this killzone, the better.

The squad slowly leap-frogged from pillar to pillar, cover to cover, as if there was a machine gun at the other end of the hall that would open fire the moment they came out from behind a pillar. Some would call it paranoia. But as the old saying goes, 'you're only paranoid when you're wrong.' The Master Chief believed it was better to be wrong than to be dead.

They were halfway down the corridor now, where the windows were. Ashley was nearest to the window and looked out through it. "Oh crap." she said.

"What is it?" Chief asked.

"Lots of Geth out there." Ashley said as she pointed out the window. After checking to make sure that there were no hostiles emerging from that doorway at the end of the hall, Chief trotted over to the window to take a look. Ashley trotted up next to him.

The window looked out on a larger room below. There were dozens of Geth troopers marching up and down the room, on their way to and from different patrol routes. The Spartan and the marine ducked down until they were just peeking over the bottom edge of the window to keep out of sight. In addition, the Spartan saw an Asari amidst the Geth. She wore a black jumpsuit and was holding an assault rifle, and seemed to be coordinating the Geth. This confirmed the Chief's suspicions that, thanks to Benezia, Saren had multiple Asari Commandos under his command.

After meeting Shiala on Feros, Master Chief did a little more research on Asari Commandos in the event that he would encounter more of them in his hunt for Saren. He didn't like what he read. Asari Commandos were hands-down the finest biotic soldiers in all the galaxy. What they lacked in heavy weapons, heavy armor and numbers, they made up for in individual fighting skill, expert use of guerilla tactics, and sheer biotic ability. They were, for all intents and purposes, the Asari equivalent of Spartans. Anything the Chief can do with his body, a Commando can do with her mind. Chief had enough trouble with regular biotics. But rigorously-trained special op soldiers with biotic expertise? All of whom were members of a species with _naturally innate biotic talent_?

The Master Chief was not looking forward to engaging an Asari Commando unit. In fact, he made a note to flat-out avoid engaging such a unit if at all possible.

"Let's keep moving." Chief said once he felt he received a decent eye-full of the enemies below. The squad continued to leapfrog their way down the hall, constantly checking for enemy patrols until they finally arrived at the doorway. Chief stepped in first to make sure it was clear.

It was a small room. Well, small compared to the rooms they've been in so far. About twenty feet by thirty feet. There were four dormant teleporters on one side of the room. On one of the wall was a narrow window about two feet across, but reached from the floor all the way up to the thirty-foot high ceiling. The Chief winked green, signaling that it was clear, and the rest of the squad moved in. Once they were all in, Chief pressed a switch by the door, sealing it shut behind them.

Chief walked over to the control panel by the teleporters, activating his omni-tool and switching off external speakers. "Cortana?" he asked.

"Translating...hmmm. Teleporters are locked." Cortana remarked.

"Locked?" Chief asked.

"I can't activate them. The system's asking for a pass code." Cortana clarified. "Not to worry. Should only take me a few minutes to decrypt."

"Let me know when you've got them working." Chief said. This was good news. The Forerunners wouldn't set up security locks in their teleportation network unless there was something worth protecting deeper inside. If nothing else, the Spartan was heading in the right direction.

As Cortana established a wireless connection and began decrypting the teleporters' security protocols, Chief looked around the room. Garrus, Wrex and Ashley were by the door, getting ready in case anything unpleasant came knocking. Liara, Tali and Kaidan were each by a far wall, examining the symbols that were carved into it. Liara was explaining to the other two that it may have been some sort of epic poem of some ancient battle or other. N'tho was standing by the window, looking out through it. The Spartan walked over to see what was so interesting.

The window looked out on another chamber two hundred feet below. There were no Geth or Krogan or Asari Commandos in this one, so thankfully there was no need to duck. It was a long corridor with golden streaks of light running across the floor and walls. At the very end was a large, strange-looking golden hologram which was vaguely shaped like a star. It had a circle in the middle, four 'points' on its northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast 'corners', and a pillar that reached all the way down to the floor. It reminded the Chief of a cathedral of sorts.

Chief turned back to the Sangheili. He continued to stare out the window, seemingly oblivious to the Spartan's presence next to him. His mandibles hung slightly agape. "You okay?" Chief asked.

"Fine sir." N'tho replied. "Just a little...overwhelmed. This place...it holds so many symbols held sacred to my people. Kinda makes me want to kneel before the glory of it all, ya know?"

"...You're already half-way there." Chief pointed out. The young Sangheili looked down and found that he had knelt down on one knee without even realizing it. He promptly stood up.

"Sorry." N'tho apologized. "It's just...my forefathers believed the Forerunners were Gods. Easy to see why, huh?"

"Done." Cortana reported over her private channel. Chief told N'tho to carry on before walking back to the teleporters as he tapped into Cortana's channel. "I've got good news and bad news. Good news is, the teleporter on the far left should take us directly to the Registry."

"And the bad news?" Chief asked.

"The bad news is, according to the logs, that teleporter has been used an hour ago. Expect company on the other side." Cortana said.

"Noted." Chief replied. He turned to his squad as he activated the teleporter on the far left. "Alright. Says here that teleporter there should take us directly to the Registry. However, the logs show it's been used an hour ago, so we might have to engage hostiles on the other side.

"Good." Wrex said. "Been wanting to kill something all morning."

"Follow me. One at a time." Chief ordered as he stepped through the portal.

...

Chief's surroundings changed in the blink of an eye. One second he was in one room, the next he was in another room. It was a small hallway lit by dim blue light that curved off to the right about twenty feet ahead. He took a look at his HUD and noticed that it was a good ten degrees colder in here than it was in the last room. He stood aside from the teleporter and watched as his squad appeared from the node one by one.

"Nothing on motion radar yet." Cortana reported.

"Form up on me. Stay alert and check your targets." Chief ordered as he slowly walked down the hall with his assault rifle raised. The squad turned the corner and found themselves in another room. There were large windows on the left wall that cast an almost sickly green-amber glow on the room.

"Uh-oh." Garrus said as he walked up to a window and looked through it. The Spartan walked up to the window himself and found that Garrus's assessment was dead-on. The room on the other side was coated from floor to ceiling in an amber-colored puss. Tendrils dangled from the ceiling, occasionally twitching. Bubbles of biomass, convulsing as if there was something inside them, grew on the walls of the chamber. Chief knew exactly what he was looking at, and he was thankful for the seven-inch thick glass separating it from his squad and himself.

"Keelah..." Tali breathed as she walked up to the window and touched a finger to the glass. "What is this?"

The Quarian jumped from surprise as something lunged at the window right in front of her. The cone-shaped creature used its tentacles to stick to the glass. Tali half-expected a beak of some sort on the cephalopod-like animal, but she could only see dozens of smaller tentacles where the mouth could be.

"Flood." Chief said as he pulled the Quarian away from the glass.

"The parasites? The ones that wiped out the Forerunners?" N'tho asked.

"And the ones you and the Turian found in that warehouse on the Citadel?" Wrex asked.

"Yes and yes." Chief said.

"Guess now we know where Saren found these things." Garrus concluded.

"I don't understand." Tali said. "Why would the Forerunners keep their killers in one of their structures?"

"They must've been studying the Flood." Liara replied. "The Forerunners were likely hoping that they could find a way to eliminate these creatures. Perhaps even cure infected victims."

Chief looked over his shoulder and saw another doorway leading down another corridor. "Come on." Chief said. "Registry can't be too far now." That, and the Spartan was eager to put as much distance between himself and that Flood enclosure as possible.

At the end of the corridor was another doorway that seemed to lead out into a larger room. Chief held up a fist, bringing the squad to a full stop. He heard voices talking in the room ahead. "N'tho, you're up. Cloak and scout." Chief ordered, wanting to know whose day he was going to have to ruin. N'tho winked green as he activated his cloak. Once he was nothing but a distortion of air, he went out into the room. The squad watched as N'tho's silhouette crouched low in the middle of the room, looking off to the right. The Spartan noticed that the floor in the room ahead was blanketed in mist. That and the lower temperature made him think that maybe this area was a cryogenics lab.

"Count seven Krogan and four husks." N'tho reported over TEAMCOM.

"Stupid husk!" a voice cursed, followed by a sickening crunch.

"Make that three husks." N'tho added.

"What's happening out there?" Chief asked.

"They're all in front of a big door. A husk was trying to get it open, but the door wouldn't budge. One of the Krogan got pissed off at said husk and...well, you heard the sickening crunch."

"Using husks to open doors." Kaidan said. "Saren knows how Forerunner technology works. He's betting that there's still enough Human DNA left in those...things...for this place to still think they're Forerunners."

"Well, so far, the bet's not paying off." N'tho threw in his two credits. "They can't open that door, at any rate."

There was a pause on the other end of the line as the transparent shape of a cloaked Sangheili craned its neck around the rest of the room. "...Um, we may have a problem." Chief could barely make out N'tho pointing off to the left.

The Spartan leaned out and saw what N'tho was pointing at. It was a giant stasis tube sticking out of the floor and reached all the way to the ceiling. Inside it was a fully grown Flood tank form. It floated in the bubbling liquid, seemingly inert.

"Heading back over. Cloak's about to run out." N'tho said as he quietly tiptoed back to the squad in the corridor. Just as he stepped through the doorway, his image began to fill back in. He turned to the Spartan.

"Doesn't look good out there." N'tho reported. "The room immediately ahead of us is very exposed. The only real form of cover to speak of is this raised balcony and a couple of doorways that bisect the chamber. Good news is, all the bad guys are on the opposite side of the chamber from us, so if we can hit them hard and fast, we could take 'em down all at once."

"Noted." Chief said. As much as he hated to acknowledge it, N'tho had made a good tactical assessment. Speed, surprise and overwhelming force would be the key to winning this firefight. "Alright. Here's the plan. Kaidan, Wrex, you two are with me. We're going to head in first. Keep you heads down and only attack when I give the signal. Once the fighting's started, everyone else can head in and provide covering fire. We clear?"

The squad winked green.

"Good. Kaidan, Wrex, with me. Activate your barriers on my signal." Chief ordered before stepping outside, the biotic marine and Krogan merc close behind him. They crouched low and hugged the wall, stopping at the small ramp ascending the balcony. So far, the Krogan warriors ahead of them didn't notice.

"Now." Chief said as he powered up his overshield and surged up the ramp. Kaidan and Wrex activated their biotic barriers and followed the Spartan's lead. Chief tossed a frag grenade at a husk, the explosion killing it instantly and taking out the shields of two Krogan warriors. Wrex tossed a spike grenade at a Krogan, which sent spikes flying everywhere, one of which caught a husk in the head, which promptly slumped to the ground. Kaidan hit one of the reptillians with a biotic warp, taking out his shields, and then immediately began firing upon him with his assault rifle. Wrex and the Chief also joined Kaidan with their own rifles.

Once the opening shots had been fired, the rest of the squad poured in and took cover behind the balcony while Kaidan, Wrex and the Master Chief took their cover by the doorways; Kaidan on the right, Wrex on the left, and the Spartan himself hugging the wall between the two doorways. Liara tried launching a singularity in the midst of the Krogan pack, but the saurians were smart enough to run away from the biotic field once it had formed.

The enemy Krogan held their own, every bit as resilient and ferocious as their reputation claimed. Even when their shields dropped, they were still able to take some fire before succumbing. It didn't help that the Krogan were smart enough to utilize the cover on their side of the chamber. They fired from behind two pillars on one side and a ramp on the other.

One Krogan had the bright idea to ascend the ramp all the way up to gain a height advantage on the Spartan's squad. The ramp ended at a glass wall however, preventing him from getting a good angle, but he could still fire at any exposed extremities. The shots he fired sent Ashley and Tali scrambling against their ramp, trying to hug it tighter in an attempt to escape the Krogan's FOV. Wrex, evidently annoyed with the other Krogan, biotically lifted him into the air and opened fire. By the time the biotic field wore off and he fell to the floor with a heavy thud, he was bleeding profusely and writhing in pain. One of his fellows came and dragged him into cover.

Chief ducked back into cover as the Krogan warriors fired back at him. So much for hard and fast. They were hitting the Krogan hard enough, but by their very nature, Krogan were walking tanks that could easily take hard hits that would kill most other races. So far, this firefight was a stalemate.

It was then that the Chief heard water piddling on the floor. He looked at the stasis tube that housed the Flood fank form on their side of the chamber. It had been hit with incoming fire and it was now leaking. The majority of the incoming fire then started hitting the containment tube, while being careful not to hit the tank form itself. It was then that the Chief realized that the Krogan intended to unleash the Flood on his squad.

The tank form began to stir from its slumber and began to bang against the glass, which had already been weakened from the incoming fire. It didn't take long for it to break free altogether, spilling stasis fluid all over the floor in a torrent as it hopped out of its former prison. It roared at the Master Chief and his squad and charged.

Then, it floated into the air.

The Flood tank form's charge was halted by Liara, who biotically lifted the abomination into the air. She took a quick peak out of her cover into the Krogans' side of the chamber before using her biotics to launch the parasitic creature into their half of the room, catapulting it through the gap over the doorways.

"There." Liara said over TEAMCOM. "Now it is _their _problem."

The tank torm landed with a heavy, wet thud. It then stood up and roared in a fury, grabbing the closest living thing, which happened to be a Krogan warrior. It then used this Krogan as a club with which to beat up the other Krogan. Some of the saurian aliens opened fire on the tank form, who seemed oblivious to all the bullets piercing its rotten hide. Not only was their attack ineffective, it also diverted their attention away from the Spartan's team. An ultimately fatal mistake.

Tali activated her overshield and ascended the ramp, overloading a Krogan's shields and then pumped some fire into him, aiming for the throat. Once the Krogan succumbed to his wounds, she tossed a tech grenade at another Krogan who'd been firing his shotgun at the Tank Form. The explosion shorted out not only his shields, but his weapon as well. Ashley hit the Krogan with her focus rifle, the golden beam burning through the alien's armor and cooking flesh.

The third and final husk leapt onto the tank form's back and clawed at it. The Flood form roared in indignation as it bucked like a bronco, trying to get it off. But the cybernetic abomination refused to let go of the parasitic one and kept clawing. The Flood finally had enough and slammed its back against a wall, crushing the husk. Once that nuisance had been dealt with, it resumed its rampage, venting its frustrations on the Krogan warriors.

By this point, only three Krogan remained, soon to be two if the tank form wailing on the third was any indication. Tali overloaded the shields of one and then Chief and Wrex combined their assault rifle rifle to take him down. The second roared in fury and charged towards the squad, but was knocked back by Kaidan with a biotic push. He followed it up with an overload from his omni-tool to take out what was left of his shields, and then lifted up his assault rifle and opened fire. Garrus finished off the Krogan with a sniper round to the head.

That left the tank form which had just finished beating the last remaining Krogan to death. Out of Krogan or husk targets, it decided to turn its attention towards the Master Chief and his squad. It roared as it charged at them. Kaidan hit the beast with a warp, which made the creature stagger back from his charge as the entire squad opened fire on it. Ashley drilled the creature right in the chest with her focus rifle. Garrus hit it with a sniper round to the head. N'tho's plasma minigun roasted its hide with bolts of hot plasma. The monster roared one last death howl before succumbing to all that fire and falling to the ground.

An unsettling quiet fell on the chamber. The Chief and his squad walked through the doorways and into the other side of the room. The Chief walked up to the stinking corpse of the Flood tank form. "Is it dead?" Tali asked.

Chief whipped out his pistol and fired a couple dozen rounds into the creature's head, its 'skin' jiggling with every shot fired. He continued this until his pistol overheated. He then switched to his shotgun and, once again, pumped several rounds into the monster's hide, snot-green ichor leaking from the wounds. The Spartan put his shotgun away once it too overheated.

"It's dead." Chief said. "Let's make sure the others are, too."

The squad did a quick once-over of the pack of Krogan warriors, confirming the kills. Chief inspected the Krogan that the Flood form was using as a stress-relief aid just moments before. Orange blood oozed from cracks in his armor as his limbs rested at unnatural angles. He bent down and gripped the head, finding that the neck was broken. Chief was glad the parasite was now dead. Snapping a _Krogan's _neck took incredible strength, and he certainly didn't want that same strength unleashed on him.

It was then that he noticed that the ground around him was bathed in blue light. "Greetings, Reclaimer." said a low-pitched voice from above.

Chief had heard that phrase before. It was never a good thing to hear immediately after encountering Flood. Chief immediately pointed his shotgun towards the ceiling where he heard the voice came from. It was a Monitor, but not like the ones Chief had seen. It was attached to a very large device that was fixed to the ceiling, and the monitor chassis itself was easily more than twice the size of 343 Guilty Spark. Its sky-blue eye cast a spotlight of the same color on the Spartan.

"...Well, there's something you don't see everyday." Garrus commented.

"Who are you?" Chief asked, not lowering his gun.

"I am Guardian 5764." The ceiling-Monitor replied. "I am a lesser artificial intelligence tasked with watching over this containment area and guarding the Registry."

_Lesser _artificial intelligence. A dumb AI. Chief breathed a little easier once he realized that, unlike Spark, this Monitor would be too dumb to stab him in the back. "So, this is the Registry?" Chief asked as he gestured to the large door.

"Correct." Guardian replied. The Monitor swiveled in its massive chassis, casting its blue light on the bodies of the husks. "These Reclaimers attempted to gain access to the Registry. However, they did not have the Key, and so I could not grant them entry."

"What's the Key?" Chief asked.

"The Key is needed to unlock the Registry." Guardian replied as it shined its blue spotlight on a hole in the wall next to the door. Chief walked over to the hole and examined it.

"What exactly _is_ the Registry?" Chief asked Guardian as he eyeballed the 'keyhole.'

"The Registry is a database of all catalogued Tier 7 species, related research logs, worlds suffering from Flood infestation and other installations." Guardian robotically replied.

"So, it's a Forerunner Almanac?" Kaidan asked. "That's what Saren's after?"

"It makes sense." Liara pointed out. "This Registry sounds like a vast treasure trove of untold knowledge. Who knows what we could learn from it."

Chief looked back up at Guardian. "How do I get in?"

"You must insert the Key into the slot. Otherwise, I'm afraid I cannot grant you entry, Reclaimer." Guardian explained.

Chief turned back to the hole. It was perfectly square-shaped, as if meant for a peg. There were lines on the wall that spread out from the hole to the door, resembling a circuit board. Finally, Chief reasoned that the hole itself was about three inches tall by three inches long, and the hole itself was about eight or nine inches deep.

The same dimensions as...

_A small mystery._

Chief pulled out of his utility belt the Forerunner trinket that Sha'ira gave him on the Citadel just a few days before. He wondered...

He slid the trinket into the hole, slim end first. He heard a click as the 'triangle' part of the trinket met the wall. He then turned the triangle like a key. He heard another click, and the green gem in the trinket lit up. The lines on the wall lit up as well, the same shade of bright green as the gem no less. The green light traveled from the wall to the door.

With several more clicks and a thud, the door began to open with a hiss. The squad just stood there, enraptured by the sight of the giant door opening before them. It lead to a long white corridor.

"You may now enter the Registry." Guardian informed the Spartan and his squad. "Please remove the Key from the keyhole and enter. I shall close the door behind you."

Chief pulled the Key out of the hole and slid it back into his belt. "Let's move, people."

With that, the squad stepped through the door and entered the Registry. Guardian shut the door behind them.

The chamber was quiet again.

The body of the Flood tank form began to twitch slightly.

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): SANGHEILI: RELGION**

_For centuries, the principal Sangheili religion has been the same as that of every other Covenant species during the Covenant's reign; a belief that the Forerunners were Gods who ascended to a more divine plane of reality. However, this belief was proven false during the Great Schism, once it was learned that the Forerunners did not enter a heavenly realm, but were simply wiped out by the Flood. Since this revelation Sangheili religion, the most important aspect of their culture, has been in a state of flux._

_Some Sangheili have chosen to revert back to their archaic Pre-Covenant faith; a polytheistic model not unlike ancient Drell beliefs. According to this belief system, the Sangheili are guided by a pantheon of warrior gods, each one having a specific dominion over a particular branch of the military. For example, 'Kavros, God of Stars, watches over the space navy. 'Dinosis, God of Shadows, blesses the Spec. Ops corps and other stealth specialists._

_Other Sangheili have tried turning to other races for guidance, an option that became particularly appealing once they acquired an embassy on the Citadel. Some Sangheili have shown a fascination with Turian Spirts and the Asari Goddess of Life. Others have taken to Eastern Human religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Some have even gone so far as to create their own form of Astrology, worshipping the stars themselves._

_Despite the emergence of so many altenative belief systems, the original belief, that the Forerunners were gods of some description, remains the mainstream religion of Sangheili society. However, much like Christianity in Human culture, this faith has evolved, becoming less about literal interpretations of Forerunner text, and more about contemplating the philosophical and theological meaning behind it. This new form of the old faith, dubbed "The New Mantle," subscribes to the Forerunners' own belief system, the Mantle, the belief that all life is holy and should be nurtured and respected. This new faith still reveres the Forerunners as gods, but acknowledges that they weren't necessarily supernatural._

...

**Next chapter should be coming out next week...ish**


	29. The Registry

**I'm not late. When I said "next week-ish," that could easily be interpreted as two and a half weeks.**

**...Yeah...**

...

1034 Hours, March 6th, 2683

The Registry, Beneath the Surface of Eletania

Hercules System, Attican Beta Cluster

...

Ashley knocked on the door once it was closed. "Sealed up tight. We're good." she reported.

Chief nodded at Ashley in acknowledgement. Since the Key was the only way in here, the Spartan wouldn't have to worry about enemies pursuing the squad in here. He looked down the corridor. One hundred and twenty feet ahead of them was another door. "Move out." he said.

The metal walls, floor and ceiling of this corridor were white, standing in stark contrast with the soothing grey-blue of most Forerunner ruins the Chief had visited. "So this is the Registry, huh?" Wrex asked as the squad marched on. "I'm not impressed."

"I think this is just an entrance hall. The true Registry is likely deeper in." Liara speculated.

"The Forerunners sure did like long, arduous hallways, didn't they?" Garrus asked.

"You have no idea." Chief absently remarked in reply. "Stay alert." he added over TEAMCOM. "I don't trust Guardian."

"Why not?" Liara asked.

"Last time I trusted a Forerunner AI, it didn't end well." Chief replied.

"Well, he said he was a _lesser_ AI." Tali pointed out. "Sounds more like a kind of VI rather than a true AI."

"Maybe. In any case, stay alert. That's an order." Chief finished as he cut the TEAMCOM signal.

The squad finally arrived at the door. It was a glass door that lead into a room with another glass door. Beyond that door, they could see the corridor continuing on, this time with windows on the side.

"Please proceed into the decontamination chamber." the Guardian's voice said as the glass door opened of its own accord. The squad cautiously stepped inside. The door closed behind them. Tiny jets then began spraying mist on the team.

"Fascinating." Cortana commented. "We're being scrubbed by some kind of molecular soap. 99.8% of all germs are being deconstructed on the molecular level."

"Is it dangerous?" Chief asked.

"No, so relax. Guardian isn't trying to kill you." Cortana reassured her Spartan. "He's just making you squeaky clean."

Chief still kept a tight grip on his shotgun. Twice before he trusted a monitor, and twice before it tried to stab him in the back. Even though Guardian wasn't as smart as Spark was, the Chief was still wary of him. He didn't want to get betrayed a third time.

After a few more minutes, the door to the other hallway opened, and the newly decontaminated squad continued on. For about half a dozen meters, this hallway seemed much the same as the last one. Then, they started passing by windows. They took quick looks outside them, seeing miniature forests out some windows and miniature deserts out others.

"These look like enclosures. Like you'd see in a zoo." Kaidan commented.

"No animals, though." Ashley remarked.

"...Keelah." Tali silently breathed as she ran ahead.

"Tali!" Chief said as he took off after her. Tali stopped in front of one the windows. It looked out on a desert enclosure, with a pond of fresh drinking water in the middle and a large tree that bore red, bulbous fruit from its branches.

"Mind telling me what that was about?" Chief asked. He didn't like how Tali just ran ahead of him like that. She could have triggered a security protocol.

She pointed at the tree in the enclosure. "That's a looshin tree." she began, her voice sounding incredulous. "There are only two places in the galaxy where looshin trees grow; the liveships in the Migrant Fleet, and _the Quarian homeworld. _What's it doing here?"

"Chief." Kaidan said. The Spartan turned towards the biotic, who was standing at the end of a corridor in the middle of a T-fork. He pointed down the right corridor. The Master Chief walked up to him and followed his finger. At the end of the right corridor was another glass door. The Chief could see another room through it; a room that looked noticeably different from the hallway.

Chief motioned for the squad to follow him as he made his way towards the room. The glass door lead to another decontamination chamber. After a few minutes of receiving a mist shower, they entered the room.

The chamber was massive, the ceiling reaching a hundred feet high, with rows and rows of golden slits of light along the walls. There was a terminal sitting against the wall every eight feet or so. There were several other corridors connected to this chamber, all having the same golden slits of light along their walls as well.

"It's a library." Liara concluded after taking a look around. "That's what the Registry is. A vast databank of lost knowledge."

"A keen observation, Eta-585." Guardian's voice said. The squad looked up to see another ceiling-mounted monitor casting its gaze upon them. The monitor then detached from its contraption and floated down to the squad. The floating ball, still about twice the size of 343 Guilty Spark came to a stop just a few feet above them.

"Er...I beg your pardon but, what did you call me?" Liara asked.

"Eta-585 was the designation my creators gave to your species." Guardian pointed out to Liara as he orbited around the Asari. "I'm detecting high amounts of star fire in your nervous system. You have great strength of mind."

"Um...thanks?" She replied. He moved to orbiting around Garrus next.

"Delta-702. A very fine specimen of the species."

"Thank you." Garrus replied, deciding to take it as a compliment. "I've been working out."

The Guardian moved towards Wrex next. "Delta-1404. You too have star fire in your nervous system. But I am also detecting extreme genetic augmentation. You seem to be suffering from a sterility issue. You should see a medical professional or you may not be able to breed."

Wrex growled as the monitor unwittingly struck a nerve. The monitor then floated in front of Tali. "Beta-819. You have an alarmingly weak immune system, even by your species' standards. Are you well?"

"I'm fine." Tali replied. "It's...what the suit's for."

The monitor then floated towards N'tho. "Gamma-468. Much like Delta-702, you seem to be in excellent physical condition."

"...Holy wort." N'tho breathed as the monitor observed. "I...thank you, oracle."

"And three Reclaimers." Guardian said as he turned to Ashley, Kaidan and the Master Chief. "One of which also has star fire."

"I think that'd be me." Kaidan said as he raised his hand. He turned to the Spartan. "'Star fire' must be the Forerunner term for biotics."

"It would please the Librarian, seeing that you all have advanced and prospered after she worked so hard to save you." Guardian told the squad. He turned to the Master Chief especially. "It would also please her to see the Reclaimers cooperating with the other races. So far, you appear to be living up to the Mantle bestowed upon you."

"The Librarian?" Chief asked. "You know of her?"

"The Librarian was in charge of this facility." Guardian explained. "Its purpose, in addition to studying the Flood, was to study, document and index all Tier 7 species in the galaxy. Specifically, the Librarian subjected each species to intense evaluation see if they truly qualified as being sentient, and thus warranted a place on the Ark. This database, the Registry, contains her records."

Chief knew who the Librarian was. During the Battle of the Ark way back in 2552, a Forerunner AI named Mendicant Bias contacted the Master Chief while he was looking through a Forerunner terminal he found in a small cave. Mendicant Bias simply introduced himself as an AI willing to help the Chief defeat the Covenant, and then cut the feed without another word. Chief didn't hear any more word from Mendicant until after the UNSC-Separatist alliance secured the Ark's Cartographer. During the time spent getting ready for the final assault on the Ark's Control Room, the Citadel, Mendicant contacted the Chief again and told him everything. Of the Forerunner-Flood war, of how the AI betrayed the Forerunners to the Flood, and of the tragic love story of the Librarian and the Didact.

The Didact was the Forerunners' military leader and was ultimately the one who personally activated the Halo array. The Librarian, who was the Didact's lover, had taken up the task of making sure that every indexed sentient species made it onto the Ark safely before Halo fired. According to Mendicant Bias, the Didact pleaded to the Librarian, all but begging her to drop what she was doing and head to a shield world where she'd be safe. The Librarian refused though, determined to complete her mission.

Just as she herded the last of the sentient races through the Voi portal, landing them all safely on the Ark, the Flood began attacking the rings. Even though the Forerunners were in danger of losing the rings to the Flood, the Didact didn't want to fire Halo until he was absolutely sure that the Librarian was safe inside a shield world. But in the time it would take for the Librarian to get herself off Earth and safely into the closest shield world, the Flood would likely have already destroyed one or more of the rings, screwing up the entire plan.

And the Librarian knew it.

She destroyed her ship, the only thing that could get her off the planet, eliminating even the most remote chance that she might survive, in order to convince the Didact to fire Halo before it was too late. She sacrificed herself so that every other sentient species in the galaxy could have a future.

This place must've been where the Librarian rounded up and studied all the sentient species in the galaxy before taking them all to Earth and sending them through the portal.

"This...'Librarian' studied us?" Tali asked. "So...that one enclosure...with the looshin tree..."

"That was the Beta-819 enclosure." Guardian elaborated. "Each enclosure is designed to resemble its resident species' homeworld, including the presence of native fauna, in order to provide a familiar and comfortable environment for the resident species, minimizing stress while under evaluation."

"So a hundred thousand years ago, the Librarian kidnapped our ancestors and studied them here. Why?" Garrus asked. N'tho snarled as he punched Garrus in the gut.

"Hey!" Chief shouted.

"The Librarian didn't kidnap us, she _saved _us!" N'tho roared at the Turian. "Show a little respect!" Wrex laughed at that.

"N'tho! Lock it down!" Chief shouted at the Sangheili. The elite growled as he took a few steps away from Garrus, who was still coughing from the punch. The Spartan shook his head and turned back to Guardian.

"This is all very interesting, but we have a situation on our hands here." Chief began. "A Turian named Saren has been trying to get in here. Any idea why?"

"To gain knowledge, most likely." Guardian replied.

"To gain _what _knowledge, _specifically_?" Chief specified.

"I can not answer that, as I do not know the intentions of this 'Saren.'" Guardian said.

"Saren's intention is to destroy Humanity. How's that?" Chief replied, growing increasingly impatient.

"If that is indeed Saren's goal, it is doubtful that they will find anything in the Registry to help them." Guardian calmly pointed out.

"Perhaps Guardian is right." Liara suggested. "Perhaps there really isn't anything in here that would interest Saren, but Saren doesn't know that."

Chief paused and looked around the Registry. The chamber was massive, shelves upon shelves and walls upon walls of information. There _had _to be something that Saren wanted in here, regardless of what Guardian thinks. In fact, there probably _was _something in here that Saren wanted, and Guardian just failed to mention it, thinking it wasn't important. It wouldn't be the first time a Monitor failed to mention a key detail.

"Spread out." Chief ordered. "I want every file examined. If it looks like something Saren would want, report it in."

"That could take a while, Chief." Kaidan pointed out. "This place is huge."

"You have your orders." Chief sternly said before walking away from Guardian and down one of the Registry's corridors.

"I shall grant Eta-585, Delta-702, Delta-1404, Beta-819, and Gamma-468 temporary Reclaimer status to allow them greater ease of use and access to the Registry's catalogues." Guardian said as he floated back up to his carriage. "Should any of you require further assistance, feel free to ask."

...

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Nianna said as the squad of Asari Commandoes continued down the hall.

"Relax." Teyri said. "Krogan probably got into another 'whose clan is best' argument and decided to use bullets to make their points."

The previous day, all contact was lost with Gatatog Gark and the rest of the Feros Invasion force. Uncomfortable with the notion that a large army so nearby had gone completely dark, Saren decided to step up security around the whole facility. Now, there were twice as many soldiers patrolling the halls of this ancient place than usual.

Teyri and her team of eight were dispatched to this Flood containment facility, where there was a door that Saren believed would lead him to the Registry. He had previously assigned a band of Krogan warriors the task of opening the door, but contact with them was lost about half an hour ago. Fearing a security breach, Saren ordered a unit of Asari Commandos be sent in to investigate. And, lucky Teyri, she and her girls got picked for the job.

"I'm with Nianna." Xeltine said as the group passed by another window looking out on a Flood enclosure. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Yeah. Those Flood things keep looking at us like they want to eat us." Elteera added.

"That's because they _do _want to eat us." Teyri replied as she rolled her eyes. "Now everyone stop complaining. We've got a job to do."

The team arrived in the room where the big door was supposed to be. The first sign of trouble they saw was the shattered stasis tube. With a hand signal, Teyri warned her team to stay on high alert. The Asari Commandos immediately raised their weapons, aiming down the sights as they cautiously stepped into the chamber.

They ascended the raised balcony and found themselves in front of the door. Teyri cursed as she took in the carnage. Seven dead Krogan and a dead Flood tank form. The parasite must've broken out of its prison somehow and killed the Krogan warriors before succumbing to its own wounds.

"Xeltine. Make sure that thing's dead." Teyri ordered as she pointed at the tank form. "Everyone else, check the Krogan bodies. Maybe one or two are still breathing."

Nianna knelt down in front of a dead Krogan and inspected the corpse. "Bullet wounds." she reported. "Don't think the tank form did this."

"Maybe it was friendly fire?" Mellina, the new girl on the team, suggested. "Like they were panicking when the Flood thing was attacking them and they ended up hitting each other as much as the Flood."

"Doubt it. These two bodies are full of bullet holes too." Trixina reported. "Not even a Krogan's aim is _that _bad."

Teyri cursed again under her breath. Trixina was right. She walked up to a Krogan corpse and found a bullet hole right in its head. Only a high caliber sniper round could pierce a Krogan's head crest. It was Saren's worst fear. A security breach. Maybe even by _him._

The Master Chief.

Teyri shuttered at the thought. She heard a lot about the Master Chief. His strength, his speed, his intelligence. Ever since Eden Prime, he's made it his mission in life to fuck up Saren's plans. Defuse the nukes on Eden Prime, beat Saren to that Prothean achaeologist, and possibly destroy the Feros invasion force. She doubted they lost contact with that army just because of a communications failure.

He was a freak of nature. A mistake of the universal consciousness. And now, there was a very real possibility that he was here. It was not a pleasant notion.

"We've got a security breach." Teyri said. "I'll report it in. Meantime, you girls set up a perimeter. I don't want anything else getting in-"

"Er, Teyri?" Xeltine said as she slowly backed away from the tank form, her pistol pointed at it. "It's...doing something."

Protruding from the tank form's back was a bulbous, twitching flesh sack of some sort. It slowly got bigger as it twitched and pulsated more and more. "What's it doing?" Mellina asked, starting to lose her calm.

"Something that warrants getting shot. Light it up." Teyri ordered as she raised her assault rifle and fired at the bulbous sack, her sisters in battle doing the same. The sack exploded.

Tossing several dozen...things...into the air.

One of them landed right on top of Mellina's head, who screeched as the little creature began scurrying around her. "Get it off! Get it off! Get it o-"

Mellina's screeches were cut short as the Flood infection form found her spine and burrowed in. She fell to her hands and knees as her body began to mutate, sickening cracks and crunches pierced the air as tentacles began sprouting from her shoulders.

The other Commandos would be shooting her if they weren't so busy trying to fight off the other infection forms themselves. Teyri exhausted her assault rifle trying to kill the nasty little things, using her biotics to keep the parasites at bay when her rifle overheated. An infection form lunged at her face and landed before she could swat the creature away.

It used its tentacles to pry her mouth open and slip inside. Having no bones, it was able to squeeze into her mouth and slide down her throat. Tears ran down Teyri's eyes as the taste of rotting flesh slid past her tastebuds. She vomited, but only dribbles of bile dripped out the corners of her mouth; the infection form still in her throat was blocking most of it. She felt the creature hit her stomach like an anvil.

She screamed and fell to her hands and knees as her nerves were suddenly overwhelmed with pain. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her sisters in battle suffering similar fates, their screams of horror ringing in her ears. She also caught of glimpse of infection forms burrowing into the Krogan corpses, which then began to twitch and mutate into something else.

Teyri looked at her hands and noticed that they were no longer a light shade of blue, the color of Thessia's sky. They were snot green now. She felt something large come back up her throat. It wasn't bile. It was something more solid. She felt her lower jaw completely split open into three different pieces.

And then, perhaps mercifully, everything went dark.

...

Tali walked down the Registry hall, observing each slit of golden light along the silver-chrome walls. She wondered if each slit housed a disc, each disc carrying a unique piece of information. It reminded her of the archive ships of the Migrant Fleet. Those ships carried with them the entire history of her people. Well...at least what the Quarians could get before the Geth drove them all off the Homeworld. According to the stories her father told her, there wasn't enough time to grab every single data disc from the original archives before the Geth could deliver the final blow. As a consequence, much of that knowledge had been lost to the Quarian race.

The squad had been searching the Registry for about twenty minutes now. Liara ended up being right. This place really was a library and an incredibly massive one at that. Tali could easily imagine spending hours in the Registry and still not find...whatever it was the Chief wanted her and the rest of the squad to find. Even the Chief himself didn't know what they were looking for; just that it was very important to Saren, presumably something he could use as a weapon. Earlier, Tali had asked over TEAMCOM how would they even know if they found whatever it is they were looking for.

'You'll know it when you see it.' the Chief simply replied.

Something had been bothering the Chief since this mission began. Something had gotten into his suit. It might have been Garrus's insubordination, but that was a couple of hours ago. It had to be something else, but what? It was hard to tell. It was _always _hard to tell with that Human. His voice was always flat and his body language was so subtle that Tali could barely pick up on it. She had tried asking the other Humans about him, but aside from his heroic exploits, they knew little more about him than she did.

It sometimes unnerved her, just how little she knew about the Master Chief. Back on the _Rayya, _she knew nearly everything about nearly everyone, and they knew nearly everything about her in turn. After a while, the _Normandy _ended up being little different, empty as it felt. In time, she became very friendly with the rest of the engineering team as well as Ashley. But the Chief? Even after nearly two weeks on the _Normandy_, Tali still knew next to nothing about him.

Even more curious was the Chief's insistence in wearing his suit at all times, even on the ship where there was no one shooting at him. She simply couldn't wrap her head around that. He was Human. His immune system was fine. Hell, it was probably better than most Humans', being a biologically augmented super-soldier and all. He could step out of his suit any time he wanted. Tali would do anything to be able to do that. So why didn't the Chief?

Tali shook her head. She was getting side-tracked by her own thoughts. She needed to focus. She still had a job to do. She walked up to a nearby Forerunner terminal and accessed it. It was an odd device. A large sphere with blue and gold streaks of light and a camera-like lens in the middle, faintly resembling a VI drone, it floated in a hollowed out part of a column. The lense served as a screen with an easy-to-understand touchscreen interface. She hoped this terminal would yield something useful. The last one held a complete biological catalogue of every organic life form from some planet whose name Tali couldn't pronounce.

The Quarian sighed as this terminal looked to be similar. Before her was a list of terms that meant nothing to her. She continued scrolling down the screen in the vain hopes of maybe finding something interesting, but all she saw was more meaningless terms and phrases. Beta-818, Beta-819, Beta-820...

Wait. Beta-819. That was the designation the Forerunners gave to the Quarians. Tali immediately scrolled back up the screen and touched the phrase 'Beta-819,' which opened an entirely different menu of audio logs, video logs, and research notes. It was an entire database on her people. She opened an audio log.

"_Librarian. We seem to have a problem._"a male voice said. "_The Beta-819's are sick. Again._"

"_Fret not, Keeper._"a female voice, presumably the Librarian, replied. "_This was not unexpected. Beta-819's immune systems work differently from other species. Rather than combat contagions, they adapt to them. All large fauna on Life World-5733 have that feature. In time, they'll adapt._"

"_...Perhaps we should leave them behind._" Keeper suggested after a pause.

"_No. Out of the question._" the Librarian indignantly replied. "_Beta-819 is one of the most intelligent species we have catalogued. I've projected that they'll easily reach Tier 3 within fifteen thousand cycles._"

"_But you're talking about putting them onto an installation with hundreds of other races._" Keeper argued. "_I don't think their immune systems can handle that. The Flood won't kill them on the Ark, but a sneeze from one of their neighbors might._"

"_Then we need to make sure that doesn't happen._" The Librarian concluded. "_I want a complete list of any and all forms of bacterial life that will be on the Ark. Additionally, sector three-two-dash-seven of Installation 00 will be reserved only for them. The Sentinels will be instructed to monitor their life-signs at all times and will keep any neighboring races from accidentally infecting them with a plague._" For a moment, Tali heard only silence. "_...Each one of these souls is finite and precious, Keeper. And I'm close. Close to saving them all._"

The audio log ended on that final statement from the Librarian. Tali didn't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, she was grateful to the Librarian for saving her ancient ancestors from the Flood. On the other hand, the Librarian abducted Tali's ancestors from the Homeworld and studied them like rodents in a lab. Granted, the Quarians were very primitive a hundred thousand years ago, but they were still sentient beings worthy of dignity.

It was then that Tali realized something. In order to abduct her ancestors from the Homeworld, the Forerunners had to have _gone _to the Homeworld. Tali scrolled down the screen. When she finally found the file she was looking for, her heart skipped a beat.

Life World-5733.

The Homeworld.

Tali held her breath as she opened the file.

It was a text journal, detailing the Librarian's visit to the Quarian homeworld. One of her aides wouldn't stop complaining about the heat. The Librarian found the hoods worn by ancient Quarians to shield their heads from the sun fascinating, believing it was a precursor to fashionable clothing, which was a common feature of what she called a 'Tier 6' civilization. Apparently, the Forerunners used some sort of tier system to label how advanced a given species was.

Tali then saw something she thought she'd never see outside of the archive ships in the migrant fleet. A photograph of her homeworld. The sun was setting over a prairie. A gasto was flying overhead. A massive balooch was eating looshins from the top most branches of a looshin tree. Finally, just a little to the left on the ground, was a small band of Quarian nomads. Three of them were in the middle of erecting a tent made from sticks and animal hide. One was trying to start a fire before the cold night set in. Two children were playing with sticks. They all had uncovered heads.

Tali sighed as she closed the file and then the entire section on her people. The Librarian seemed to think so highly of the Quarians back then. She thought they had the potential to be a very advanced race if given the opportunity.

If the Librarian was alive today and saw the Quarian race now, she'd be disappointed. Tali wasn't looking for a Forerunner's approval like N'tho was, but that didn't make the fact taste any less bitter. She walked towards another terminal, suddenly wanting to take her mind off the subject.

After poking around in the next terminal's data files, she found that she was no longer looking at biological catalogues, having apparently walked out of that part of the Registry. What she was looking at now seemed oddly more familiar. Grav-lift engines, coolant systems, lesser AI operative systems.

It was then that Tali realized that she had stumbled upon a ship database. A crazy idea suddenly formed in her mind as she began opening and examining file after file. After a few minutes, she finally found what she was looking for.

Schematics for a slipspace engine. It felt as though an invisible force was tickling her tummy as her heart suddenly swelled with joy. She even giggled a bit with excitement. This was the _perfect gift _for her pilgrimage.

Not long after their brief war with the Turians, the Quarian Flotilla approached the Human Alliance, Sangheili Empire, Kig-Yar Confederacy and the Yanme'e Hives, wishing to negotiate a deal to acquire slipspace technology. A system of travel that was projected to be nearly twice as fast as eezo-based FTL? It could finally have been the lucky break the Quarians had been longing for.

Unfortunately, those governments had enough problems negotiating the legality of slipspace drives with the Citadel Council. They didn't want to jeopardize those talks by brokering deals with a universally hated race of vagrants. Lot of good refusing the Quarians did for them, though. After the Pheiros incident, the Turians were so furious that they threatened war with the 314 races if slipspace wasn't illegalized, which ended all talk of slipspace legalization in the near future, as well as ending any chance the Quarians had at getting slipspace technology themselves.

Until now. Yes, slipspace was still illegal in Council Space, but after they denied the Quarians the right to settle even temporarily on an unoccupied garden world within Citadel territory, Tali didn't much care what the Council thought. The Flotilla spent most of their time outside Council Space anyway.

The schematics were complicated though. Tali had never seen an engine this advanced. It gave the Quarian a mild headache simply trying to understand the seemingly endless stream of equations listed. It would likely take years, or even decades of research and resource acquisition before the Quarians would have their own functional slipspace drive, but in the end, it would be worth it. Ancestors among the stars be willing, it might even give her people the edge they need over the Geth and finally retake the Homeworld.

She took an OSD out of one of her pockets and slid it into the terminal, downloading the engine schematic. In just a few minutes, life on the Flotilla would change forever.

...

"_Their greatest strength is their sense of unity._" the Librarian said. "_Thanks to their strong social bonds, hunting parties are able to take down big game with an almost military-like precision and efficiency._"

"_That's what worries me._" Keeper argued. "_They are mostly carnivorous, they are openly hostile to other tribes, and whenever they discover something new their first reaction is to throw a spear at it. They have all the makings of a hyper-aggressive military race._"

"_We can not predict the future, Keeper._" The Librarian countered."_We don't know for certain who among these souls will go on to do good and who will go on to do ill. They must all be given a chance to prosper. They deserve at least that much._"

Garrus grumbled at that last audio entry regarding the Turians. Yes, they were a militaristic race, but they were more interested in keeping the peace than starting wars, unlike the Krogan. Indeed, Garrus's people ended up being the complete opposite of what the Keeper feared ancient Turians would become. The Turians saved the galaxy from the Krogan, safeguarded Council worlds from Terminus pirates, and founded Citadel Security, the finest police force in all the galaxy.

Garrus wished this 'Keeper' was alive today, so he could take all of his people's accomplishments and rub them in that Forerunner's smug prick face.

"Hey Garrus."

The Turian jumped a bit at the disembodied female voice suddenly greeting him. He looked around to make sure no one was within earshot before replying. "At least warn a guy before you do that."

"Sorry." Cortana apologized. "Master Chief hasn't found anything interesting yet. Anything on your end?"

"Well, I've been learning some interesting facts about my people." Garrus replied. "For instance, this 'Keeper' guy thought ancient Turians were a bunch of savages and would evolve into an empire of space savages."

"Yeah. I've been poking through the Librarian's research notes as well." Cortana said. "Looks like Keeper was her right hand man."

"He was also a prick." Garrus said.

"That too." Cortana quipped. "That said, it sounds like you're indulging your curiosity more than looking for anything mission-relevant. You really should stay more on task. You're in enough hot water after giving the Chief some lip back on the _Normandy._"

"I know." Garrus replied. "But we can't risk Saren getting away after all he's done, especially now that we're so close. I had to say something."

"...You know, in a few ways, you actually remind me of John." Cortana said with a warm, friendly voice. "You're a man of principals and conviction. So is he." The AI sighed. "Now if only _he _could see that."

"...Well, you and Chief keep looking. I'll search some other spot. Vakarian out." Garrus said as he cut the COM. He was about to walk down another corridor when he saw Liara and N'tho approaching him. "You two find anything yet?" Garrus asked as he walked over to them.

"Nothing related to the mission." Liara admitted. "But I did study the Librarian's research on ancient Asari. Our intellect and eezo-resistance were well-noted but, strangely, there was no mention of our natural biotic talent."

"Really?" Garrus asked. "Weird. That's one of the Asari's hallmarks."

"Indeed. This discovery implies that our latent biotics are actually a very recent development in our physiological evolution, within the last eighty thousand years or so if I had to guess." Liara speculated. She put her knuckle to her chin in contemplation. "I should forward this information to paleontologists back on Thessia and see what they think. This discovery could have a significant impact on current theories regarding Asari evolution."

Garrus nodded at the Asari, who now looked to be lost in thought, and turned to the Sangheili. "So, what did you find out about _your_ people's past, N'tho?"

"So far, nothing." N'tho grunted in annoyance. "I've been searching this place high and low for data on ancient Sangheili, but I haven't found anything."

"Well, we really should be looking for something mission-relevant instead of indulging our curiosities." Garrus said, remembering Cortana's advice. "Maybe you should give up for now."

"No way." N'tho replied, seemingly on reflex. "This is where the _Librarian herself _studied my race. Anything and everything she said about the Sangheili is theologically significant to us in ways you wouldn't get. I _have _to find the Sangheili files."

"Tell you what. I just finished inspecting the Librarian's research on ancient Turians in the terminal over there." Garrus said as he pointed a thumb at the terminal in question behind him. "Maybe you'll find what you're looking for in there. Meantime, Liara and I will head down the other way and comb through those terminals."

"Don't bother." N'tho said as he shook his head. "Me and Liara already combed through them. Nadda."

Liara sighed as she looked at the ceiling. "This place is enormous. It's a miracle we found as much as we did. What makes the Master Chief so certain we'll find something that leads to the Conduit?"

"Because Saren seems pretty sure and, apparently, that's good enough for Chief." N'tho replied.

"We just need to keep looking." Garrus said resolutely. "I agree with Chief. There has to be _something _in here. And we need to find it fast. Saren's still out there, and I doubt he's just sitting around on his ass."

...

Saren Arterious sat on top of a crate in the middle of the Grand Hall, twirling a pistol around in his talons. He ground his mandibles in annoyance.

It's been well over twenty-four hours since Saren last received a report from Gatatog Gark. Last he heard, the Master Chief had landed on Feros and foiled an attack on Zhu's Hope. After that, there was nothing. No good news. No bad news. Feros completely went dark.

The Master Chief must have attacked the ExoGeni building and somehow shut down FTL communications. Hopefully Gark's forces had already taken care of that bothersome little Human by now and were working on getting communications back up. Nevertheless, Saren felt the need to step up security on Eletania as a precaution. The worst case scenario, unlikely though it was, could be that the Chief had defeated the Feros invasion force, somehow found out that Saren was here, and would soon be coming for him.

That is, if he wasn't here already. The Krogan warriors Saren sent to open the door to the Registry hadn't reported in for nearly an hour now. He sent a team of Asari Commandos to investigate. They hadn't reported in for nearly twenty minutes. The former Spectre had half a mind to head in there himself to see what the hell was going on.

And if it was indeed the worst case scenario, the Master Chief infiltrating the facility, then it looked like Saren's problems had only just begun.

A band of Krogan warriors approached him, this time lead by a Krogan Battlemaster; a biotic. "You called for us, Lord Saren?" the Battlemaster asked.

"Teyri and her team haven't reported back yet." Saren said. "We can now safely conclude that we have intruders. Go to the Registry entrance and deal with them."

"Your will be done." the Battlemaster said with a bow. He then lead his team of a dozen fellow Krogan down a corridor. Saren watched the pack of Krogan trot off before turning to a Geth prime that had walked up to him.

"I'm starting to think this whole operation may be compromised." Saren told the towering synthetic. "Position the bomb. Be ready to arm it on my word."

The Geth nodded its head before marching off down a different corridor. Saren continued to idly twirl the pistol. Unfortunately, it was looking less likely with each passing minute that he would access the Registry.

And if he couldn't access it, no one could.

...

Chief downloaded the schematics to a Forerunner weapon he found in the terminal on Cortana's suggestion. According to the AI, the Forerunner weapon used a form of hard light as ammunition. They didn't know if Saren's forces had the ability to mass-produce their own firearms, but if they did, weapon schematics like this would make a tempting prize. One that needed to be kept out of Saren's hands.

This is what the Chief and Cortana have been doing for nearly an hour now. Weapon designs, star charts, planet indexes, anything that could even be _theoretically _used by Saren against Humanity was downloaded for later study. Unfortunately however, the Spartan had yet to find anything big.

Not for the first time, he took a look around the Registry, taking in just how large it really was. Kaidan ended up being right. This really would take a while.

Feeling that there was nothing useful left in this terminal, he moved on to the next one, which was at the very end of another long corridor. He accessed the terminal and found that it held a list of odd terms. Paladin's Hand. Place of Shadows. Ghibalb's Fury. Lifeworker's Credge. Maginot Line. Path of Deconstruction. Excavating Truth.

"What are these?" Chief asked Cortana. He knew enough about Forerunners to know they were names, but of what, the Spartan didn't know.

"Translating." Cortana replied. "Hm. Odd. These files are encrypted."

That caught the Chief's attention. You only encrypt files that you don't want someone else reading. "Can you crack them?"

"Naturally." the AI replied with trademarked haughtiness. "But it's still odd. All the other files we've been thumbing through weren't encrypted at all. I was wondering if maybe the Librarian deliberately left them that way so that someone else could discover them. Like she _wanted _us to learn this place's secrets. But if that was the case, why are _these _files encrypted?"

"Easy." Chief replied. "Unlike all the other terminals, this one has secrets the Librarian didn't want us to learn."

"Well, I'm done decrypting." Cortana said. "It's a list of other Forerunner stations. Flood containment facilities, military bunkers, shield worlds...uh-oh."

"Uh-oh?" Chief asked. There were precious few times Cortana ever said 'uh-oh.' Chief never liked what followed after she uttered those words.

"I think I found what Saren is after." Cortana said. She forwarded the files to the Master Chief's HUD. The Spartan didn't make much sense of all the text within the little screen on the bottom-left corner of his HUD, but one of the pictures did stand out.

One of a ring.

"Halo..." Chief quietly said. And here he was, thinking that he wouldn't have to relive _that _particular nightmare anytime soon. "You think this is what Saren's looking for?"

"I'd be willing to bet." Cortana said. "Though he probably doesn't know what Halo's _true _function is, he probably does know it's some kind of weapon. And if he thinks it's some kind of weapon, then how much you wanna bet he intends on using it against Humanity?"

"I already destroyed two Halos." Chief said. "Three if you count 04B."

"Which leaves five rings unaccounted for and presumably intact." Cortana replied. "These files probably contain their current locations."

"Where are they?"

"Unknown. The files on Halo are still heavily encrypted, even after I unlocked everything else in this terminal." Cortana explained. "It would take me a lot longer than a few minutes to decrypt these files."

"Can you delete the data?" Chief asked. He didn't really need to know where Halo was. He just had to make sure Saren didn't find out.

"Negative. I don't see an option to delete anywhere. The Librarian didn't want just anyone accessing this data, but she didn't want to delete it either. I suppose it was in case, God forbid, it becomes necessary to fire Halo again."

"Then we'll take it with us." Chief said as he pulled out a spare data crystal chip and plugged it into the terminal. After ten frustratingly long minutes, the download was complete. Chief grabbed the chip and palmed it while he checked the terminal one last time to make sure he got it all. Sure enough, the data on Halo was gone from the Terminal.

Chief looked down at the chip in his hand. Inside its white crystal was the location of Halo. The gun pointed at the head of the universe. His first instinct was to crush it in his hand. With no physical copy of the data left, there'd be no way for Saren to find it. However, one question, one unknown, nagged at him. What did Halo have to do with the Conduit?

Did Saren abandon his search for the Conduit and switched gears to find Halo?

Did Saren think Halo and the Conduit were connected somehow?

Were Halo and the Conduit, in fact, one in the same?

The Chief resolved not to destroy this data. At least not until he's taken a look at it himself. He slipped the chip into a pocket in his utility belt. Once he was back on the _Normandy_, he'll have Cortana begin decrypting it. Right now, there were more pressing matters to tend to. With his secondary objective complete, it was time he moved on to his main objective; get Saren.

"All squad, report back to the entrance." Chief ordered over TEAMCOM. "I found what we're looking for." Everyone winked green, except for Kaidan who winked orange.

"I think I just found the facility's surveillance system interface." Kaidan explained. "I think I might be able to locate Saren with this. I'm combing through video feeds right now. I'll let you guys know once I've got a fixed location."

The Spartan winked green and then jogged back up the corridor to the entrance. This was excellent news. First he secured mission-relevant data, and now the Chief would have a hard fix on Saren's exact location within the facility. This mission was actually going better than anticipated. He couldn't get cocky now though. Like any military operation, this assignment could still turn south at any given moment. When he arrived, he found the rest of the squad waiting for him, except for Kaidan of course.

"So, what did you find?" Garrus asked.

"The coordinates to Halo." Chief said as he pulled out his data crystal chip.

"What does Saren want with a ring-world?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know, but it can't be good." Chief replied.

"Maybe he wants it because...you know...superweapon." N'tho said.

Garrus groaned. "We've gone over this, N'tho. Halo does _not _kill every sentient being in the galaxy, because big rings in space that make things die somehow is just plain stupid."

"Hey man, I'm just saying that Halo-"

"Lock it down. Both of you." Chief interrupted N'tho and Garrus while pointing two fingers at each of them. "Now, has anyone else discovered anything of significance?"

"I think I might have." Tali said as she stepped forward and pulled out an OSD from one of her pockets. "I found and downloaded schematics for a Forerunner slipspace drive."

"Slipspace drive?" Chief asked.

"Yes. Like the ones you Humans had in your ships prior to joining the Citadel races." Tali replied. "Think about it. Slipspace is easily twice as fast as traditional FTL. With it, the user can outmaneuver any Council ship, including the _Destiny Ascension_."

Chief nodded. Next to Halo's location, a slipspace drive blueprint was definitely something Saren would be interested in. It was easy for the Spartan to imagine _that _worst case scenario; _Sovereign_. Fully capable of slipspace jumps. "Good find, Tali." the Spartan said as he reached his hand out.

The Quarian looked down at the Chief's hand. "Er...wait." she said, confused. "You want me to..._give _it to you?"

"...Yes." Chief slowly replied.

"...Oh." Tali said. "Well...it's just...this would make a _really _good pilgrimage gift...I mean, we Quarians could really use our own slipspace drives..."

"Keeping that data out of Saren's hands is more important right now." the Spartan bluntly told Tali. "It'll be safer with me. Once this mission is over, I'll run this by ONI. If they give the okay, you can have a copy of the data to take back to the fleet."

"_If?!_" Tali blurted out. "Chief, they WON'T give the okay, and you know it. You can't tell them about this!"

"Easy." Chief said as he held up a hand. "Look, that's Forerunner technology you're holding in your hand there. You can't just slap it inside a ship without knowing how it works. It needs to be studied."

"And it _will _be studied." Tali replied. "In a _Quarian _research ship."

"Tali. Most of your people's technology is three hundred years behind everyone else's." Chief pointed out. "Your research labs can't handle this."

"And Alliance labs can?" Tali asked.

"Yes. That's my point." Chief argued, his patience growing thin.

"And _my _point is that if you hand this data over to an Alliance lab, I'll never see it again."

Chief groaned in frustration. "Tali. This is more important than your pilgrimage."

"It's not about my pilgrimage!" Tali suddenly shouted. "It's about my people! For as long I can remember, other races have always looked down on the Quarians! I've heard countless stories of Quarians being beaten, cheated and even enslaved before they were able to complete their pilgrimages.! I myself was called a...a..._suit rat _on my own pilgrimage! No species has ever shown my people the slightest bit of kindness; only cruelty! Why would this 'ONI' be any more charitable to my people?!"

"You're being irrational." Chief replied in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "You're letting your own personal biases color your judgement."

Tali took a few deep breaths to calm herself before continuing. "Please Chief...you can't tell them. My people need this."

Chief walked up to Tali and held out his hand. "My people need it too. Hand over the OSD." he said. "That's an order." he added.

Tali hesitated for a second. Then, slowly and with a heavy heart, gave the OSD to the Chief. He took it and slid it into his utility belt. He turned to the rest of the squad. "Anyone else find anything?" he asked. The other squad members silently shook their heads. "Alright then." Chief said.

"...I thought we were friends." Chief heard Tali whisper. Chief sighed at that.

_Sorry Tali. _He thought. _But I'm not here to make friends._

"Uh...Chief." Kaidan's voice came over TEAMCOM. "You might wanna come over here."

Cortana took the liberty of highlighting Kaidan's position on Chief's HUD. The Spartan followed the arrow down a corridor where Kaidan stood in front of a particularly large terminal. From its screen, the terminal projected several other holographic screens. Each one looked out on a different room in the facility. The rest of the squad caught up to the Chief a second later.

"Okay. Good news and bad news." Kaidan began. "Good news is, I found Saren." He then touched one of the holographic screens, which then grew bigger, making the others shrink. On the screen was Saren walking down a corridor with a pair of Geth shock troopers at each of his sides. "He's on this level." Kaidan said as he pointed to a specific spot on a three-dimensional map of the underground complex at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. The biotic then activated his omni-tool. "Sending coordinates to all squad now."

With that, everyone else's omni-tools lit up and beeped in confirmation of acquiring the coordinates. "And what's the bad news?" Chief asked.

"This." Kaidan said as he touched another screen. On the screen were several dozen Geth as well as a few Krogan warriors, all of which were guarding an object about the size of a car. An alarmingly familiar object about the size of a car.

"Oh crap, that's a nuke." Ashley said as she too recognized the object. "Same model as the ones they tried to use on Eden Prime. Except bigger."

"A nuclear bomb?!" Liara gasped. "That's insane! This place is full of forgotten knowledge! And Saren would just destroy it all like that?!"

"Well, he is a fan of scorched earth warfare." Kaidan pointed out. "It's what he tried to do on Eden Prime and Feros. Once he had what he came for, he'd try to destroy it to keep anyone else from getting it. Thing is, I wouldn't think he'd bust out a nuke until _after _he's accessed the Registry and found what he's looking for."

"He can't access the Registry." Chief stated. "We're only here because we had a key and Saren didn't."

"So he's broken out the old 'if I can't have it, no one can' villain cliche and plans on turning this place into one big crater." Garrus said.

"So what do we do?" Kaidan asked.

"Stop him." Chief replied. The Spartan looked up to the ceiling. "Guardian. Does the Registry have its own teleportation system?"

"Affirmative." Guardian replied in a calm, relaxed tone of voice. "Simply enter the facility coordinates, and it will take you there. Allow me." A series of golden bands of light suddenly appeared on the floor, leading down another hallway.

"Come on." Chief said as he began walking down the marked path at a brisk pace.

"Wait, we're leaving?" N'tho asked.

"Yeah." Chief replied.

"But we can't leave!" N'tho protested. "I haven't found anything on ancient Sangheili yet!"

"Tough. We have a bomb to disarm and a rogue Spectre to apprehend." Chief said.

"But-"

"We're leaving. That's an order."

"No! I'm not leaving the Registry!"

Chief stopped dead in his tracks, as did the rest of the squad. He turned around, focusing his visor on N'tho. The other squadmates slowly inched towards either side of the corridor, suddenly not wanting to be standing between the Spartan and the Sangheili.

"...What." Chief said.

"...I'm sorry Chief, but I'm not leaving the Registry." N'tho apologetically stated with a bowed head. "This...this place is where the Librarian herself studied my race. Her notes on my species are in here somewhere and this might be the only chance I'll ever get to see them. I'm sorry, but...I'm not leaving until I find that research. I need to know how the Gods saw my species."

The Spartan clenched his fists. For the last thirty hours, this squad had been suffering a serious insubordination problem. Unauthorized executions. Questioning of his authority. And now, open defiance of a direct order. This was the final straw.

"...N'tho, I'm going to say something to you that I've been wanting to say to an elite since 2525." Chief began as he all but stomped towards the young Sangheili. Just like on Trebin, he grabbed the collar of the elite's chest piece and pulled down on it, bringing the elite eye-to-visor with the Chief.

"The Forerunners are _not _gods." the Spartan said. "They did _not _ascend to a higher plane of existence. They were wiped out by the Flood. They didn't want you worshipping them or the broken toys they left lying around, and they sure as hell didn't think your species was somehow unique from the others. You know how the Forerunners _really_ saw your species? You know what they _really _saw when they looked at you split-jaws a hundred thousand years ago? They didn't see the beginnings of a noble race of warriors. They saw a race of savages who were still trying to get the hang of making fire, and didn't stand a chance against the Flood. They didn't ennoble you with some kind of divine destiny. _They took pity on you._ Now, we're on a high-profile mission to track down a rogue Spectre and bring him to justice, which means we don't have time to entertain an ancient _squidhead fairy tale. _Are we clear on that?"

There was a tense, shocked silence in the air. Chief took a drink of water from his suit's liquidation system, his throat suddenly sore.

"Crystal." N'tho snarled in response. Chief shoved the Sangheili away and resumed marching.

"The hell did THAT come from?!" Cortana demanded. "You told N'tho that he's wrong to worship the Forerunners? What's next, you're gonna tell some old religious lady that there's no God and Jesus was a con-artist? Or maybe tell a little kid that there's no Santa?"

The Master Chief ignored the AI's scoldings. "Here's the plan." Chief said. "Alenko. I want you to take the rest of the squad and assault the bomb's position. Get to that bomb and disarm it by any means necessary. I'll deal with Saren."

"All by yourself?" Garrus asked. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"All he has are two Geth bodyguards." Chief said. "I can handle him."

"Permission to make a suggestion, Master Chief?" Kaidan cautiously asked.

"Granted." Chief replied.

"You've got a lot of mission-critical information on your person, sir." Kaidan pointed out. "Maybe you should hand it all over to one of us for safe-keeping."

"Negative. I'll only be dealing with three combatants while all of you are going to assault a well-fortified position. The data is safer with me right now." the Chief said.

The group arrived at the teleportation system, which was basically a larger-than-average teleporter with a control terminal next to it. Kaidan walked up to the Terminal and typed in the coordinates. The teleporter beam lit up. "I've programmed it to transport you about fifty meters ahead of Saren's current location. That should give you a few minutes to set up a decent ambush." the biotic reported. The Spartan simply nodded as he leapt through the beam.

...

Chief's surroundings changed within nanoseconds. He now found himself in the middle of a large, empty corridor. He took cover behind one of the columns that lined the wall and withdrew his assault rifle. As of yet, he didn't hear anything.

"Accessing coordinates." Cortana reported. "Saren is this way. I recommend caution in moving forward."

An arrow appeared on the Spartan's HUD, pointing the way to the rogue Spectre. "Oh and, for the record, I share Garrus's concerns." Cortana added. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Taking on Saren all by yourself?" Chief turned off external speakers to avoid his voice carrying and revealing his position.

"This is a job for a Spartan." the Chief said. "Not a marine. Not an ex-cop. Not a merc, migrant, scientist or idiot. Besides, I move faster on my own."

"Watch what you say, John." Cortana replied. "Remember what happened to the _last _Spectre who said that."

Chief checked his motion radar in the bottom-left corner of his HUD. Seeing no red dots, he came out of cover and moved down the hall, leap-frogging from column to column, moving ever closer to his target.

...

The Krogan Battlemaster squeezed the life out of the trigger like it was a Salarian's neck, as if squeezing it any harder would somehow make the shots more powerful. But no matter how hard he squeezed the trigger, the horde of parasites kept coming. The tank form, the infection forms, even the combat forms, some of whom were once his own warriors. They all charged at him, completely oblivious to the bullets piercing their hides.

The Flood had him cornered in a room with a large window that looked out on a Flood enclosure. A combat form that used to be a fellow Krogan charged at him. The Battlemaster reared his head back and headbutted the Flood form with all his strength, knocking it down. He filled its chest cavity with ammo to keep it down. He biotically pushed away another combat form while he waited for his rifle to reload. Another combat form, this one a former Asari, began to flow with a biotic aura. The Battlemaster didn't know if the Flood could use biotics or not, but he wasn't keen on finding out as he unloaded another round of shots into the Asari Flood's abdomen.

Amidst all the chaos of having to fight off various forms of the parasite, it was easy for an infection form to avoid the Krogan Battlemaster's notice and sneak around him. It lunged and adhered itself to the Krogan's hump before burying in. The Krogan Battlemaster howled in pain as the infection form burrowed past several organs before finally finding a nice cozy spot in the Krogan's chest cavity from which to mutate the body further. Tentacles sprouted from the Krogan's hump as the Flood's 'head' emerged from the Krogan's mouth, separating the lower jaw from the upper one with a sickening crack.

The newly-infected Krogan combat form then turned towards the glass and began headbutting it, as did the other Krogan combat forms. The Asari combat forms began launching biotic warps at the glass, weakening its structure. Then, with a mighty roar, the tank form punched a hole in the glass, allowing the infection forms inside to pour out and join them. The horde then moved on to the next Flood enclosure.

If the plague was to spread, they would need to bolster their numbers.

...

Alert: Containment has been breached on research level 9. Research levels 4, 5, 7 and 8 contain life-forms with sufficient biomass to facilitate wide-spread infestation. Planetarium of Ages at 93% risk.

All main levels contain life-forms with sufficient biomass to facilitate wide-spread infestation. Parasite has not reached main levels yet, but it is projected they will in 17.10522222 minutes.

Threat Level: Orange

Accessing the Sanctum of Defenders.

Sanctum of Defenders accessed.

Accessing top-level automated security. Top-level automated security accessed and approved.

Objective: Eliminate all Parasites and sources of biomass. The infestation must be contained at all costs.

Objective received.

Prometheans are online.

...

**I really only have one complaint about Halo 4; the redesigns of the Covenant races.**

**Sangheili: Was very iffy on this. When I first saw it I was like "Woah...Sangheili are totally ugly now." I suppose it wasn't terrible, but it certainly a far cry from the dignified saurians we saw in Halo 3.**

**Next, the Unggoy. They look like reptiles, with scaly-looking skin. Which is weird cuz I think I read somewhere that Unggoy are actually more like Earth's arthropods than Earth's reptiles or mammals. But hey, maybe the Unggoy are arthropods...with scaly skin. Also, their breathers don't encompass their mouths anymore, which I guess is kinda interesting and would certainly make eating food in non-methane environments more convenient for them. But I dunno...I mean, would YOU go into a non-oxygen environment with your nose covered but not your mouth? Seems like the old breather apparati were more efficient because they don't restrict the user's breathing to one orifice.**

**Finally the Kig-Yar. THIS was the redesign that finally got a "What the Hell, 343?" out of me. I might be biased, because the Kig-Yar are actually kinda my favorite Covenant race, but the Halo 4 Kig-Yar don't even look avian! They look like monitor lizards with serious underbites. That's NOT how Kig-Yar should look, 343!**

**Thank God Halo 4 isn't canon in this fanfic's continuity. All the Kig-Yar in THIS fanfic are gonna be sporting those big, beautiful beaks we all fell in love with in Halo 3. And before anyone mentions that they didn't have beaks in Halo 1 or 2, I would like to say that I only became a Halo fan in 2007 after buying Halo 3 after hearing so many good things about it. I bought Halo: CE on XBL a few years later and I've never played Halo 2. Kig-Yar had beaks when I was first introduced to this franchise, and I LIKED them that way.**

**BEAKS FOREVER!**

**...I should stop posting chapters at two in the morning. Makes me prone to nerd rage**


	30. Lone Wolf

**If Steve Downes makes a voice cameo as you-damned-well-better-know-who in Wreck-It Ralph, it will automatically become the greatest Disney movie of all time.**

...

1142 Hours, March 6th, 2683

Underground Forerunner Complex, Beneath the Surface of Eletania

Hercules System, Attican Beta Cluster

...

The Master Chief took cover behind another column. "How much closer?" he asked.

"He should be roughly twenty meters ahead." Cortana replied. "Right here's good. He should be coming along in a minute or two."

Chief nodded. He already had his ambush all planned out, and it fortunately didn't need much prep work. All Saren would have as back-up would be a pair of Geth troopers. The Master Chief would start by tossing a tech grenade at their feet. It would stun them on detonation, but more importantly, it would take out their shields. Chief would then pop out of cover and fire two short, controlled bursts from his assault rifle; one in each Geth. Once they were down, Chief would charge Saren, knocking the weapon he'd raise out of his hands, open-palm strike his nose to stun him, followed by a heel kick to the chest, knocking him down. Once he was down, Chief would affix the neural inhibitor collar to the Turian's neck. From there, the Chief would need to link back up with the squad and get Saren onto the _Normandy. _That last part would likely be the most difficult part of this operation, but the Spartan would cross that bridge when he got to it.

Chief heard footsteps further up the hall. He hugged the pillar even more as his eyes darted to his motion sensor. Three red dots coming his way. Chief reached into his belt and pulled out a tech grenade. It was time to execute.

He came out of cover, catching a glimpse at Saren's surprised face, and tossed the grenade at his feet. It detonated on impact, disabling the shields of two Geth bodyguards. Chief raised his rifle and fired a short burst square into one Geth's chest, then another burst into the other one's chest. Chief then charged out of cover towards Saren.

Saren suddenly thrust his arm out out at the Spartan, who then flew thirty feet down the corridor. Chief cursed to himself as he scrambled back into cover. He was hoping he could incapacitate Saren before the Turian could employ his biotics, but it seemed that he had underestimated Saren's reaction time. The Chief peeked out of cover and looked up the corridor. He made out Saren ducking behind a pillar, also holding a weapon. He could hear him chuckle.

"John-117." Saren said. "At long last, we meet face-to-face." He peeked out, only to duck back when Chief tried to take a shot at him. "So to speak." he added.

Chief popped his gun out of cover and kept Saren pinned with some blind fire while he tried to think of a way to get around the Turian's biotics.

"You know, there were over seven _thousand _Geth stationed on Feros, all of whom were under orders to not only kill you on sight, but also prioritize you as a secondary objective after the Thorian." Saren said. "There were all _actively hunting and trying to kill you._ And yet, here you are, seemingly no worse for wear. So just out of idle curiosity, might I ask how you're _still alive_?"

"Easy." Chief replied. "I'm a Spartan. And Spartans never die."

"...Oh, is that the Spartan _motto_?" Saren asked. "Oh, now that is just _adorable_. Blatantly untrue, but adorable."

"No Spartan has ever been killed in action." Chief pointed out.

"And yet, a curious amount tend to go _missing _in action." Saren pointed out. "Kelly, Samuel, Fred and Linda just to name a few."

John suddenly gripped his rifle in anger. "How-"

"Did I know about all your old teammates?" Saren finished the question with a jovious chuckle. "When I do my research on someone, I make it a point to be _very_ thorough. I know virtually everything about your combat record, John. Even the parts ONI didn't want me to know. Spectre privileges and all that. Now, I know I called you a walking WMD with poor diplomacy skills, but between you and me, the _real _reason I don't approve of your Spectre status is because of your poor combat record."

"I have thousands of confirmed kills on my record." Chief pointed out.

"A large kill-count does not make an effective soldier. Good leadership does." Saren countered. "In that regard, your record is abysmal. Li-008, Anton-044, Grace-093 and Samuel-034 all died under _your _command. Additionally, several hundred UNSC marines also died fighting by your side over the course of the war."

"That wasn't my fault!" Chief shouted.

"The hell it wasn't!" Saren shouted back. "They looked up to you! They saw you as a symbol of hope! But all you did was give them false reassurance before they died in vain! Officially or otherwise, they saw you as their leader, _and you failed them!_"

Chief gritted his teeth as his grip on his rifle grew strong enough to make the metal creek. "I've no love for Humans, but I admit that the Spartans were, for their time, one of the finest warriors in all the galaxy. It's a shame that good Spartans like Samuel-034 died so early in their careers. Perhaps their deaths could've been avoided if they were under the command of someone who was _legitimately competent._"

That was it.

The Chief came out of cover and charged right at Saren. He still planned on taking him in alive, but not before breaking his legs.

Saren also came out of cover and thrust his arm out, shooting a ball of biotic energy at the Chief. It hit with the force of a brute's fist, stopping the Chief's charge and even sent him stumbling back a bit. He soon heard the familiar but unwelcome beeping of a shield that had been depleted. That was when the Spartan noticed that he had a lingering biotic field around him. Saren thrust out his arm again and threw another, though this time smaller, ball of biotic energy at the Spartan.

A biotic explosion was an advanced biotic technique which was most effective against heavily armored foes. Biotics work by using physical gestures (officially known as physical mnemonics) to cause neurons to fire in a certain sequence, sending an electrical charge through their eezo nodules and creating the desired effect. Every electrical charge has either a positive or negative charge, and the charge going through a biotic's eezo nodules are no different. Thus, every biotic warp, throw or what-have-you is at least partly electrical and will always be either positively or negatively charged. And since two electrical currents of the same charge will always seek to repel one another, hitting a biotic field with a biotic attack of the same charge can create a violent reaction, creating the eponymous biotic explosion.

Chief experienced this phenomenon first hand when Saren's biotic energy hit the Chief and ignited the biotic field that still lingered from his warp attack. The biotic explosion sent the Chief flying down the corridor and tumbling across the floor. When he came to a stop, he saw a structural damage report appear on his screen. The explosion put a serious dent in his armor.

"You know, for someone who is commonly described as having a stoic personality, you're unusually quick to anger." the Chief heard Saren say as he heard the Turian's footfall come closer. "You need to keep that temper of yours in check."

Chief rose and charged.

Chief flew further down the hall.

"Charging blindly didn't work last time. Don't know why you'd think it would work that time." Saren pointed out, his organic arm still glowing blue from the last few attacks.

Chief rose again, this time his rifle raised and fired. Saren had already wrapped himself in a biotic barrier, which easily deflected the Spartan's shots. He biotically threw the Master Chief further down the hall a third time. He laughed mockingly as he stalked over to the Spartan, who was once again trying to rise in vain.

"_This _is the Master Chief?" Saren asked of no one in particular. "_This _is Humanity's Greatest Hero?" He thrust out his arm and threw another ball of biotic energy at the Chief, triggering another biotic explosion, sending the Spartan flying even further until he hit a wall at the end. After hitting the ground hard, the Chief struggled to get back up, but a biotic warp brought him down to his hands and knees, alarms incessantly beeping into his ears as another dent in his armor was reported to him. Furthermore, the biotic residue from all those attacks were causing static interference with his shield systems. His shield couldn't regenerate.

"I swear to the Spirits, I'm mentally chastising myself right now." Saren said with an almost schoolboy-like glee as he approached the Spartan. "To think of all the trouble I could've saved myself if I had just slapped you around with my biotics in the first place! Had I known it would be this easy, I would've done it myself a while ago!"

Saren stood over the Spartan, still prone on his hands and knees. Out of the corner of his eye, the Chief saw the former Spectre pull out a pistol with his organic hand and point it at his head.

"So much for 'Spartans never die.'" Saren said.

_Now. _Chief thought to himself.

The Spartan reached up and grabbed Saren's wrist and yanked down hard. He heard a sickening snap as Saren's entire arm was dislocated. He reached up with his other hand and delivered a pulled back open palm strike right to Saren's face; a move made easier by the Turian's face closer thanks to the earlier arm pull. Chief then let go of Saren's wrist and spun his legs out, catching Saren's feet and tripping him. The Turian landed on his back with a hard thud. Chief neatly spinned into a prone runner's pose and then stood upright. While the Turian was still down, the Spartan struck him right in the chest with an open palm strike, knocking the wind out of Saren's lungs and keepinghim down. Chief then grabbed a neural inhibitor collar from his belt and clamped it around Saren's neck before the former Spectre could recover.

"You were saying?" Chief asked.

"Nice save. I'll raise the rest of the squad on TEAMCOM." Cortana said. "...Uh-oh. Chief, we have a problem." The Chief stood up and walked a few feet away from Saren as he turned off his helmet's external speakers.

"What is it?" Chief asked.

"I can't raise TEAMCOM." Cortana explained. "Looks like your suit's radio took some damage when Saren was throwing you around like a rag doll."

"Can you fix it?" Chief asked.

"Negative. Circuits are misaligned and the motherboard's cracked. It's fubar." Cortana replied.

Chief sighed. Of course the mission wouldn't end _that _easily. "Don't suppose you have a brilliant idea on how to contact the squad without radio." he said.

"Who are you talking to?" Saren demanded. "Your external speakers are off, but I can still hear your voice muffling through your helmet."

Chief turned his external speakers back on and turned to Saren. "Private conversation. Shove it." the Spartan said before turning his gaze away from the Spectre and turning external speakers back off.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Cortana replied with trademarked confidence. "If we can find a Forerunner terminal somewhere around here, you could plug me into the facility's network. From there, I could locate the squad and set up a communication feed between you and them."

"Any terminals nearby?" Chief asked.

"No, but I am detecting a teleporter further down this corridor. Could lead to one." Cortana replied.

Chief nodded and walked back over to Saren. He lifted up the former Spectre's limp form and unceremoniously draped him across one shoulder. He then began walking down the hall.

"Where are we going?" Saren demanded from his less-than-dignified position.

"We're going to link back up with my team. Then we're going to take you to the Citadel, where the Council has prepared a nice cell for you." Chief answered.

"...You mean you're _not _going to kill me?" Saren asked. He chuckled at that. "I'm disappointed, John. Don't tell me _you _of all people don't have the stomach for it."

"I have my orders." Chief replied. "Besides, I don't need to kill you. After all you've done, don't be surprised if the Council gives you the needle."

"That's only if we get out of here." Saren pointed out. "There is a tactical nuclear bomb somewhere in this facility, and it's going to be detonating _very _soon."

"I know. I've got some guys working on it." Chief replied.

...

The squad all stood against the wall, each member keeping a tight grip on their weapons, ready to engage at any second. Just around the corner was a huge chamber the size of a football field. More immediately around the corner was the bomb. N'tho had been sent in to assess the strength of the defense force guarding the bomb. He had only been gone for a few seconds, and already it seemed he was gone too long.

"Okay." N'tho's voice reported over TEAMCOM. "Count five Krogan and, like, twenty-something Geth. We may need to get creative."

Kaidan winked green to acknowledge. He took a moment to think. What would the Master Chief do in a situation like this? He remembered that one firefight back on Feros, at the entrance to the ExoGeni facility. Perhaps a similar strategy could be used here.

"N'tho. Where are you positioned?" Kaidan asked.

"Behind a line of crates on the far side of the room, across from you guys." N'tho replied.

"Good. We need you to distract them for a few seconds. Set up your minigun and start shooting." Kaidan ordered.

"Can do!" the elite enthusiastically replied. A second later, the sound of repeating plasma and the surprised yelps of Krogan filled the air. "I'M N'THO 'SRAOM! YOU CAN'T STOP ME! YEAH BITCHES!"

"That _is _very distracting." Garrus noted.

"Wrex, you're up next." Kaidan said. "Put on a barrier and just charge right in."

"So far, I'm liking your plan." Wrex complimented the Human as he activated his barrier. The Krogan Battlemaster came around the corner and charged into the Geth, his footfall heavy and loud, as though the floor was a big war drum and he was beating it with his feet. He struck a Geth trooper down, using his shotgun as a club before unloading it on another Geth, then biotically throwing another one to give himself some room.

"Garrus. See if you can bring a few of those Krogan down." Kaidan ordered. Garrus nodded before unfolding his sniper rifle and stepping around the corner. Within seconds he looked down his scope, got a fix on a Krogan's head, and fired. Orange mist bursting from the side of its head, the enemy Krogan collapsed into a heap. Garrus was able to kill another Krogan with another headshot before his sniper rifle overheated. He came back around the corner for cover.

"Garrus. You stay here and keep providing covering fire." Kaidan instructed. "Everyone else, with me. We're going in!" Kaidan then charged into the room, Ashley, Liara and Tali close behind. Kaidan wrapped himself in a biotic barrier and Tali wrapped herself in an overshield and unleashed suppressive fire into the Geth ranks, while Ashley and Liara ran for cover behind a pile of crates before they too contributed to the assault.

The Geth were forced to fight a battle on two fronts. On one side was N'tho and his plasma minigun. On the other side was the rest of the squad. One of the Krogan warriors roared before charging towards N'tho's position. Eliminating the Sangheili would eliminate the second front entirely. However, a plasma grenade flew through the air and stuck to the Krogan's hump, right above his head, as he continued charging, running past a pair of Geth troopers. The grenade detonated, killing not only the Krogan but also the two Geth.

"Ooooooh, that was a nice stick!" N'tho cheered after his grenade detonated. "Betcha can't stick it! I DID!" He added as he threw another one before resuming his minigun assault.

After their barrier and overshield ran out, Kaidan and Tali ran for cover, finding it in a pile of crates close to the pile that Ashley and Liara hid behind. "Count two Krogan and about a dozen Geth left!" Ashley reported over TEAMCOM.

"One Krogan." Wrex corrected over TEAMCOM. He biotically lifted a Krogan warrior into the air and riddled its floating body with bullets. When the biotic field faded, it fell to the floor with a wet thud.

"Well, that still leaves about a dozen pissed off Geth." Ashley commented. As if on cue, said dozen pissed off Geth opened fire on Wrex. Knowing that his biotic barrier wouldn't last much longer, he ran off to where N'tho was taking cover.

"Not a word, Squidhead!" Wrex barked at the Sangheili.

"I didn't say nuthin'!" N'tho shouted in reply.

"We need to clear them out quick." Kaidan declared over TEAMCOM. He didn't know how much time was left on that bomb, but he didn't want to take his time with this fight. "Liara. Can you use a singularity?"

"Yes, but I doubt it would do much good." the Asari replied as she peaked out of cover. "The Geth are too spread out. I'd only be able to disable a few of them at once."

"Kaidan. I think I have an idea." Tali said as she began tapping keys on her omni-tool. After a few more key taps, her omni-tool suddenly pulsed with light, the program ready for action. She stood up from cover and thrust her omni-tool out at a nearby Geth, the tool flashing white and giving out its tell-tale whine.

The Geth she targeted stopped for a second. Suddenly, it turned its gun on a fellow Geth trooper and began firing. The other trooper had to shoot back in response. Tali thrust her omni-tool at a second Geth, forcing it to turn traitor as well. And then she did to a third, and then a fourth. Within moments, half of the Geth force was opening fire on the other half.

"You hacked the Geth?" Ashley asked.

"It's a virus I've been working on for about a week now." Tali replied. "And technically, I didn't actually _hack _the Geth. The virus takes control of the hardware-"

Tali's explanation was cut off by a furious roar. The single remaining Krogan warrior turned on the Geth and began gunning them all down, evidently no longer caring which ones were on his side. "Garrus, N'tho, Wrex, you guys pick off the Geth." Kaidan ordered. "I'll take care of this Krogan."

With that, Kaidan's body glowed blue as he came out of cover. With a motion of his arm, he lifted the rampaging Krogan into the air. The alien flailed his limbs and screamed out obscenities as he floated higher and higher into the air. A sphere of biotic energy gathered in Kaidan's hand, and he threw it at the Krogan. The resulting biotic explosion completely depleted the Krogan's shields and partially ruptured his armor. And with the field gone, he fell to the ground with a crack. Kaidan finished him off with a full round of rifle fire to his head.

Thanks to Tali's hacks, the remaining Geth were easy to deal with. One by one, the machines fell to Garrus's sniper rifle, Wrex's assault rifle, N'tho's plasma minigun, and just about every other squad members' weapon of choice. When the last Geth fell, Tali rushed over to the bomb and brought up the control panel. She furiously tapped several keys until the bomb's humming whirred down into silence. The Quarian breathed a sigh of relief as the rest of the squad came over.

"How much time was left?" Ashley asked.

"You don't want to know." Tali replied. She then resumed typing on the control panel, this time at a slightly more eased pace. "I'm going to see if I can shut this thing off permanently. When we get out of here, we need to be sure that the Geth can't just turn it back on." She then fished an OSD out of one of her pockets and slid it into the console's disc drive.

"Good thinking." Kaidan complimented. He then accessed TEAMCOM. "Chief, we've deactivated the bomb." he reported.

All the biotic got in response was static. "Chief? You read?" Kaidan asked again. Still nothing but static. He turned to the rest of the team. "Can't raise the Chief on TEAMCOM for some reason."

"How do we find the Chief if we can not contact him?" Liara asked.

"Maybe we could go and find one of those Forerunner terminals." Ashley suggested. "We could find the Chief by accessing the surveillance systems or something."

"Well, unless anyone has any better ideas, looks like we're gonna have to go find a terminal." Kaidan said with a shrug.

"This should do it." Tali said with a satisfied tone as the console spat the OSD back out. The bomb was suddenly wrapped in a glowing red overshield. "I've installed a shield-lock matrix. It should at least last until we get out of here with Saren and nothing short of another nuclear bomb can destroy it."

"Alright." Kaidan said as he looked around the massive chamber. "So where do we start looking for a terminal..."

It was then that the squad heard something. Like the skittering of a thousand little feet. It started out low but soon grew in volume. The skittering became accompanied by moans and gurgles as they saw the source emerge from a doorway on the far side of the chamber, opposite from the team.

The Flood. Dozens of combat forms, hundreds infection forms, and a few tank forms just for good measure. One of the tank forms looked at the squad and roared.

"Oh _bosh._" Tali swore.

"I propose we begin looking for a terminal in the direction _opposite _the horde of nightmarish parasites." Garrus suggested.

"Agreed!" Kaidan said before he turned around and ran down the opposite corridor, the rest of the squad behind him.

The Flood combat and tank forms broke into a run, pursuing their prey. Infection forms buried themselves into the Krogan corpses and mutated them into combat forms that then joined the others in the chase. The parasites completely ignored the Geth corpses, synthetic bodies being worthless to them, as well as the shield-locked bomb.

...

"I must say, this is something of a low point in my career." Saren deadpanned as the Chief continued to carry him on his shoulder down yet another corridor. "Saren Arterius. The most ruthless Spectre in the galaxy, Prophet of the Geth, and the Turian who brought the Human Alliance to its knees...now being lugged around as though he were little more than an Asari sex doll. Seriously though, was this collar really necessary? Couldn't you just shackle my hands and feet and let me walk to my cell with my head held high? You know, so I could maintain some semblance of dignity?"

Chief grunted. Between Garrus and now Saren, the Spartan was beginning to wonder if a dry sense of humor was a cultural hallmark of the Turian species.

"In all seriousness though, even if you do get out of here alive, and even if the Council did have enough of a backbone to sentence me to death, it still won't stop what's coming." Saren darkly added.

"You sure about that?" Chief asked. "With their leader incarcerated and likely put to death, your Geth army will be in disarray. Beating them will be easier."

"I don't think you understand." Saren replied. "This isn't an Insurrectionist cell. This isn't a Covenant armada. The forces you are opposing are completely beyond your comprehension; completely unlike anything you've ever faced before."

"Let me guess. The Reapers?" Chief asked. "Sentient machines that wiped out the Protheans and now we're next? Gimme a break."

"Oh come now John, don't play the skeptic." Saren said. "We both saw the vision from that beacon on Eden Prime. You know as well as I do that there are monsters lurking in the dark."

Chief sighed and set Saren down on the floor. Enough was enough.

"Everything you thought you knew about the galaxy's history is about to change." Saren went on.

"Uh-huh." Chief said as he knelt down on one knee and reached into his belt.

"A new galactic order is on the horizon. We're standing on the precipice. Whether it is of our doom or our ascension will be determined by _my _actions."

"Mm-hm." Chief continued to dig around his utility belt. _Come on, where is it..._

"Even if I die, whether it be by your hands or the Council's, Benezia will take my place and carry on my mission. And if she dies, someone will take her place. You can not fight the inevitable, John-117. You can not stop the arrival. And I will take _great _pleasure in watching the Reapers burn Earth to the grouMPH!"

Chief found what he was looking for; a miniature roll of duct-tape. He quickly tore off a strip and used it to seal Saren's mouth shut. The Turian muffled in indignation as his rant was cut short.

"Much better." Chief said as he gave Saren a pat on the cheek. He then hefted the Spectre's limp body back over his shoulder and resumed his course.

The Master Chief came out of the corridor and into a large, dimly-lit chamber. The ceiling was black with twinkling lights, resembling a night sky, just like the corridor from when the Chief first entered this place. Rows upon rows of pillars reached from the floor to the ceiling, which was easily two hundred feet high, maybe higher. Pillars that were thicker than the others dotted the chamber's layout, various walkways suspended at ten, twenty, thirty, even fifty feet in the air connecting them. Finally, the chamber was very dark as a consequence of the low light. It was so dark that the Chief couldn't see the walls and corners of the giant room.

Chief raised his pistol as he suddenly heard an odd noise. It was a strange warbling sound, neither Geth nor Flood. "...I don't think we're the only ones in here." Cortana slowly said. "Keep your eyes open."

Chief's eye darted to the motion tracker. Nothing but one yellow dot right in the middle. Still, he heard _something_. He kept moving, this time very slowly and with a pistol in his hand.

After a minute of navigating the chamber, he noticed four red dots appear on his HUD. He took cover behind one of the larger pillars, setting Saren down next to him. He peeked around the corner.

Three Geth troopers and a Krogan warrior. Likely just a small patrol group. He reached into his belt and pulled out a tech grenade. He threw it at the group, destroying their shields upon detonation. He switched to his assault rifle and fired a quick burst of bullets into one Geth, followed by another, and then another. Only when his three Geth companions fell did the Krogan realize he was under attack. With a roar, he charged at the Chief. The Spartan opened fire on the alien, but being a Krogan, the warrior was able to ignore most of the fire and continue charging. As his rifle overheated, the Chief braced for impact.

Suddenly, an orange beam of light shot out from nowhere and hit the Krogan. The Krogan suddenly dissolved into a flurry of what looked like bright golden leaves, which then crumbled into ash. "What was that?" Chief asked.

"Unknown." Cortana replied. Chief looked up at where the beam came from. He saw a glowing whitish-blue orb of light floating on one of the walkways, which then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Activity all around us." Cortana reported as the Chief noted several white dots appearing on his motion tracker behind him. He turned around saw several orange glowing creatures climb down the pillars. Chief noted that the creatures were quadrupedal before they started jumping off the pillars and firing orange bolts at him.

"They're hostiles." Chief noted as one of the dog-like synthetics lunged at him. He smashed its face in with his rifle butt before opening fire on another one. After a few rounds to its head, its head cavity exploded into a cloud of orange mist. Realizing at that their orange glowing 'mouths' were their weakness, Chief shot another burst into the mouth of another one, making its head explode too. Another one lunged, only to kiss the Chief's rifle butt. Targeting their mouths allowed the Chief to take out two more before his rifle overheated.

"These things are some type of defense AI's!" Cortana said. "Definitely _not _Geth! Stay sharp!"

One of the synthetic creatures shrieked at him from a walkway above him. Chief's rifle had cooled, so he aimed up and fired some bullets right into its throat. "Move of them!" Cortana alerted as she highlighted another incoming group of synthetics on the Chief's HUD. Chief activated his overshield just before the synthetic dogs unleashed another volley of orange light on him. He returned fire, killing yet another one.

Then, they suddenly turned around and trotted off, scurrying back up the pillars and out of sight. "They're retreating..." Cortana noted. "Guess they figured out they shouldn't pick a fight with you."

After waiting a moment to make sure the odd synthetic creatures were gone, Chief walked back over to Saren. He knelt down in front of the Spectre and ripped the duct tape off his mouth. "What were those things?" Chief demanded.

"First time I've seen them, John." Saren replied. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, you're no help." Chief said before slapping the duct tape back onto Saren's face. The Turian grunted in indignation. Chief withdrew his assault rifle and did one more quick once-over just to make sure-"

"CHIEF!"

Cortana screeched into the Spartan's ear in alarm as he saw a metal body jump from one of the walkways above and land right on top of him. It was a synthetic creature, faintly similar to the ones he just fought, and yet very different. It wore a metal helmet and had eyes that burned the same shade of orange as those other defense AI's. Its face was right up in the Chief's.

Then, its face split open right down the middle, revealing what looked like a Human skull that burned a furious mix of red, yellow and orange. It roared right into the Spartan's face.

The Master Chief punched the creature right in the face. This was getting annoying.

Stunned by the punch, Chief kicked the creature right in the chest, shoving it off. The Spartan got to his feet and raised his fists. As he did so, he got a better look at the creature. Unlike the dog-like synthetics, this one was more his size. It had two pairs of arms; a large set of robotic arms that seemed to end in weapons, and two smaller, seemingly biological arms below the robotic ones. Its torso had an odd shape to it. A spinning top was the only object the Chief could think of to compare it too. Finally, there were lines and symbols on the synthetic's body that glowed orange.

The creature huffed before ramming its shoulder into the Master Chief with alarming speed, sending him flying and slamming into a pillar. As the Chief got up, the 'top' of the creature's torso opened up, and a smaller synthetic being popped out, hovering above the other creature. The smaller creature seemed to use two large disc-like devices to hover in the air.

Chief raised his assault rifle and opened fire on the creature. Then, oddly and to the Spartan's frustration, the floating creature fired a blue beam at the other creature, creating a hard-light shield in front of it. While it protected its ground-based companion, it shot bolts of light at the Spartan.

Chief reached into his belt and fished out a plasma grenade. He primed it and threw it at the creature, hoping the explosion would be enough to overpower that shield. The floating synthetic, however, caught it in mid-air with a tractor beam of some sort. It then twirled the grenade around in a few circles before throwing it back at the Chief. The Spartan leaned his head out of the way just as the grenade whizzed by.

Noting that the larger creature was no longer protected by the shield, Chief decided to seize the opportunity. He opened fire on the synthetic, aiming for the head. Eventually, the Chief was rewarded with his efforts when, oddly, the creature disintegrated into a flurry of golden leaves, just like the Krogan did. Perhaps the synthetics were programmed to self-terminate upon death. With its comrade dead, the floating one flew away.

"On the floor. It dropped something." Cortana said as she highlighted the area in question, right where the odd creature used to be. Chief put away his rifle as he walked over to the area. It seemed the self-termination didn't destroy everything. It left behind a few shards of metal. The Chief picked up a shard that, oddly, had a handle on it. Not only a handle, but a trigger.

Suddenly, the other shards of metal began floating and combined with the shard the Chief was holding. The shards fit together like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, forming what the Chief easily recognized as a weapon. Specifically, a scoped rifle. At least, that floating cylinder on top looked like a scope.

"I recognize this design." Cortana said. "It's Forerunner. No doubts now. Those things _were _Forerunner Defense AI's."

"You mean like Sentinels?" Chief asked, remembering the deadly floating robots from Halo that served as Guilty Spark's minions.

"More like Sentinels on steroids. Bigger, stronger, and more aggressive." Cortana replied. "Guess one of Saren's goons must have accidentally turned on this facility's security systems so now we've got killer Forerunner robots to deal with. Hopefully, they'll be as much a problem to them as they will be to us."

Chief then noticed the flying Defense AI flying off into a dark corner of the chamber. "Better grab Saren and bug out before thatlittle guy comes back with friends." Cortana advised.

Chief trotted back over to Saren as he squeezed his new weapon onto his back, right between his assault and sniper rifles. He hefted the rogue Spectre over his shoulder as Cortana slapped an arrow up on the Chief's HUD. The Spartan jogged in that direction, arriving at another teleporter. He stepped through it.

...

The squad had only been running from the Flood for a few minutes, but it seemed much longer. Already their legs were getting sore, but the moaning, gurgling threat of death behind them kept them from stopping. They had managed to put enough distance between them and the Flood to stay a few corners ahead of the horde of parasites, but the ever-present scent of decaying flesh assured them that their pursuers weren't too far behind.

As they turned another corner, Ashley noticed something on the wall. "Door!" she blurted out before rushing over to the control panel next to it, the squad also stopping by the door and congregating around it. "Stop crowding me!" Williams snapped.

"I got this." Kaidan said as she pushed Ashley aside and worked the control panel. "It's locked, but I think I can unlock it."

The moans of the Flood grew louder. "FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT!" Ashley pleaded.

"Fixed it." Kaidan reported as the door opened. "Everyone inside! Move!" The squad didn't need to be told twice as they all poured in, Kaidan being the last one in, closing the door behind them and then locking it.

After taking a moment to catch their breaths, the squad looked around the room. It was a small room, about thirty feet by thirty feet. There were several crates and containers in the room and shelves lining the walls. "Looks like a storage closet." Garrus noted.

"Thank the Goddess. There's a terminal right over there." Liara sighed with relief as she pointed to a terminal in the corner of the room, semi-hidden behind a stack of crates. Kaidan walked over, stepping around the crates, and accessed the terminal.

"Okay. I think I can access the surveillance systems from this." Kaidan said. "We'll lay low in here until we get a fix on the Chief's location. Garrus, Ashley, you two watch the door. N'tho, Wrex, move these crates here. I could use a little more room. Liara, Tali, stay close to me. I might need a couple more hands with this."

...

Chief groaned as he continued marching down the seemingly endless, labyrinthine corridors of the Forerunner complex. His mind was filled with questions. Just how big was this place? How far below the surface of Eletania was he? And just when the hell was he going to find a-

"Terminal." Cortana said. "On your left."

"Finally." Chief said as he set Saren down against the wall and walked over to the Forerunner computer.

"Plug me in and I'll find the squad." Cortana instructed. "You keep watch." Chief nodded before taking out Cortana's data crystal and plugging it into the terminal's disc drive. No sooner did he do this did the Spartan notice a group of red dots on his motion tracker. He turned around and saw the corner that lead around to another corridor. The hostiles, whatever they were, were coming from that direction.

Chief took cover against one of the pillars that lined the walls as he took out his shotgun. He kept his ears open as he watched the red dots on his motion sensor slowly get closer. Too slowly. And Chief barely heard a footfall. Whoever was approaching was doing so slowly and silently. They knew he was there and were looking to ambush him. Seeing a chance to surprise them, the Chief came out of cover and swung around the corner, shotgun raised and his finger on the trigger.

He suddenly found himself wrapped in a biotic aura and unable to move. Before him was a squad of Geth troopers, accompanied by a Geth juggernaut and lead by an Asari commando, still glowing from biotics.

"MMPH!" Saren called out, somehow realizing that it was his rescuers.

"Lord Saren!" the Asari cried out as she ran behind the Chief to free Saren. The Spartan heard the Asari rip the duct-tape off Saren's mouth, followed by a popping sound and a grunt. The asari walked back into the Chief's field of view, along with a now-free Saren. He rolled his organic arm as he rubbed his shoulder. Apparently, the popping sound Chief heard a second ago was Saren relocating the arm that Chief dislocated earlier.

Saren then walked up to the Chief, waving the neural inhibitor collar in front of his visor with an evil grin. "Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine." he gleefully said. He clamped the collar around the Spartan's own neck, the stasis field wearing off a second later. The Spartan slumped to the ground.

Chief then felt two pairs of synthetic hands grip his shoulders and prop him up against the wall. Chief looked up and saw Saren sneering down on him. "Relieve him of his weapons." he ordered.

WIth that, the Geth removed the Chief's weapons. His assault rifle, his sniper rifle, shotgun, pistol, and the Forerunner weapon he lifted from the synthetic creature from earlier. They even took away his utility belt, which carried all his grenades. Saren turned to another Geth trooper and pointed at the terminal. As that Geth marched off towards it, the Geth that was searching through Chief's utility belt pulled out a data crystal. Chief's breath suddenly caught in his throat. With a stuttering sound, the Geth handed the data crystal to Saren. The Turian took the chip and stuck it into his omni-tool. It lit up, Forerunner schematics of various kinds appearing on the omni-tool's screen. The rogue Spectre spread his mandibles into a Turian smile as he flipped through blueprint after blueprint, layout after layout, until stopping on one. An amber-tinted holographic representation of a ring-like structure floated above his omni-tool.

Halo.

Saren chuckled. "Thank you, John." he said to the Spartan. "Now I don't even _need _to access the Registry. You just gave me _exactly _what I was looking for."

"You're making a big mistake." Chief warned. "Halo's a weapon. One that you _don't _want to fire."

"Who said I was going to fire it?" Saren rhetorically asked. "It's not the ring itself I need, but rather something _on _the ring. Halo guards more than one secret."

"Trust me on this, Saren. There's nothing on that ring you want." Chief threatened. "Some secrets should stay hidden."

"We'll see about that." Saren replied. The Geth trooper from earlier walked up to Saren and handed him a data crystal.

Cortana's data crystal. The realization put a chill through Chief's gut.

The Spectre took the crystal and slid it into his omni-tool after popping out the other one. "Hm...it's encrypted." he noted. "I don't know what's on this crystal, John. But you can be sure I'll find out."

The Spartan glared at the former Spectre through his visor. Cortana must have somehow realized that she had been captured. She did the smart thing and powered down most of her more advanced subroutines and set up firewalls around herself. Not that it mattered. Saren still planned on picking her apart anyway, which was NOT going to happen. Not as long as Spartan-117 still drew breath.

Saren turned to the Geth juggernaut. "We're heading back to _Sovereign._" Saren said. He nodded at the Chief. "And we're taking him with us."

The juggernaut nodded and grabbed the Spartan by his arms. Two Geth troopers each grabbed one of the Spartan's legs. The three Geth marched down the hall along with the rest of the rescue party, with Saren leading the way.

...

Cortana saw it all through the facility's surveillance systems. As soon as Saren clamped that neural inhibitor collar around the Spartan's neck, the AI knew all bets were off. She bailed out of her data crystal entirely and fully integrated herself with the Forerunner facility's computer network, just before that Geth trooper pulled her crystal out. She left behind an encrypted file, a decoy to give to Saren so he won't suspect that the real prize was floating around in the network.

She smirked. Saren probably thought he had a very important piece of intelligence. In reality, all he had on that particular crystal was a cake recipe.

Unfortunately, that didn't change the fact that Saren now had what he was looking for. Halo. She didn't know what Saren wanted with the ring if not to fire it, but considering Saren's track record thus far, whatever he wanted was probably just as bad. And to make matters worse, the Master Chief had been captured. And as long as that collar was on him, he couldn't fight his way out.

Whether he would admit it or not, John needed help. Now more than ever.

And the AI knew seven misfits that'd be perfect for the job. She immediately began scanning the surveillance systems, searching the facility room by room.

...

The Krogan combat form fired its assault rifle at the Promethean crawlers, their heads exploding one after the other as the parasite knew right where to hit them. The Promethean knight snarled as its minions were picked off one by one. Activating its blade arm, it charged at the combat form, moving so fast and erratically that it seemed to teleport from spot to spot until it finally reached the Flood and swung its arm, cutting it in half right at the waist.

That was when a Flood tank form appeared and charged at the knight, grabbing it in its meaty hands and slamming it against the floor over and over. Two other knights fired on the tank form with their light rifles, trying to save their companion. The tank form howled in pain as the light rounds seared its rotten hide. It backed away, holding out the still-kicking knight, trying to use it as a shield. The other combat forms opened fire on the flood with their hosts' pistols, shotguns and assault rifles, but the watchers spawned shields in front of their knightly comrades to protect them from the incoming fire.

The tank form finished off the knight it was holding with a final slam on the floor, the knight disintegrating into ash as per its self-destruction protocol. It then charged into the other two knights, seemingly oblivious to the light rounds burning its skin. The watchers tried to save the knights, but they fell upon fire from the combat forms, forcing the watchers to defend themselves instead and fire back.

As the battle between Flood and Promethean raged on, a camera, virtually unnoticeable from its spot close to the hundred-meter-high ceiling, watched.

...

"What are those things?" Ashley asked, pointing to the synthetics battling the Flood on the terminal's holographic screen.

"Well, they have a Forerunner aesthetic to them." Kaidan explained to the rest of the squad who had congregated around the terminal. "My best guess; they're Forerunner mechs. They must be the facility's security personnel. They were probably woken up when the Flood broke out as part of a containment protocol."

"You think they're friendly?" N'tho asked.

"Doubtful." Kaidan said as he switched to another screen, showing the Forerunner mechs fighting Geth and Krogan. "They're not just fighting Flood, they're fighting Saren's flunkies too. Looks like they're attacking just about everything like it's open season."

"So basically, there's a three-way battle going on out there." Wrex stated. "Geth vs. Flood vs. Forerunner Robots."

"And _we're _caught in the middle." Garrus added. It was then that the terminal suddenly began beeping. "More good news?" Garrus sardonically asked.

"Someone is trying to access this terminal." Kaidan said. "They want to communicate with us."

"How do we know they're friendly?" Ashley asked.

"They're using Alliance encryptions." Kaidan answered. "Could be the Chief. I'll patch it through, but I want everyone to stand back, just in case."

Once the other squad members were at a comfortable distance away from the terminal, Kaidan pressed the key to allow the communique through. The terminal's lens suddenly projected a hologram of what looked like a VI. It took on the form of a Human woman. It wore a long dress, had long hair, and was hot pink in color.

"Greetings." it said. "I am a Halsey-Model Cyberwarfare Virtual Intelligence. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Agent Sierra-117 requires your assistance."

"You're that advanced VI that Chief has." Tali pointed out.

"Correct." the VI replied. "Sierra-117 has been captured by Saren's forces, via neural inhibitor collar. Saren has also required mission-critical data that must be taken from him." the hologram then switched from the VI's avatar to a three-dimensional map of the facility, a mess of winding corridors and passageways. A particularly large chamber that was practically in the middle of it all was highlighted in bright sky blue. "Through analysis of the facility's layout and monitoring enemy radio chatter, I have determined that Sierra-117 is currently being taken to this location. Saren Arterius is confirmed to be with him. A rescue and retrieve operation has been declared top-priority."

"Wait a moment." Liara said. "If the Chief was captured, how did you get away?"

"Sierra-117 inserted me into a nearby terminal so that I may acquire your current location." the VI explained. "I integrated myself into the Forerunner computer network and out of my data crystal in order to avoid capture. After that, locating you all was a simple matter."

"...Something's wrong here." Tali stated. She turned to Kaidan. "If what it says is true, that it left its chip to escape capture, then it has a _self-preservation _matrix. No ordinary VI has one of those."

"I am not an ordinary VI." the VI stated. "I was custom-programmed by ONI specifically for use by Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Agent Sierra-117."

"Also, to independently comb through an ancient alien network to find us requires the ability to _learn_ and _adapt_ to new networks, something that is beyond the abilities of _any _VI, regardless of how advanced it may be." Tali pointed out. She then cast a suspicious glare at the VI. "But learning and adapting is well within the abilities of a _true _AI." She added. Now the whole squad was eyeing the VI suspiciously.

An awkward silence hung in the air for a few tense seconds.

"...Okay." the VI suddenly said. "You know what? Screw it. Let's start over."

The VI suddenly changed forms. Its hair shortened considerably into a bob haircut. Its dress disappeared, revealing a nude form, code layers and data flowing naturally on its skin. Finally, it turned from hot pink to sky blue.

Ashley, Kaidan and N'tho widened their eyes, instantly recognizing who it was.

Garrus just sighed. "Here we go..." he silently murmured.

"Okay!" the AI began. "Let's start with a re-introduction. Hi. I'm UNSC Artificial Intelligence serial number CTN 0452-9, but you can all just call me Cortana for short. Yes Tali. I'm an AI. You caught me red-handed, and you're perfectly free to freak out about it once you're back on the _Normandy. _Ash, Kaidan, N'tho? Three of you staring at me slack-jawed? To answer your question, yes, I'm _the _Cortana. The Master Chief's partner in kicking ass. Not _sidekick. Partner. There's a difference. _And, once again, you're perfectly free to freak out about it once you're back on the _Normandy. _As for how it is I'm here, I survived into the 27th century just like the Chief did and, don't worry, I'm not rampant as I deactivated myself and put myself into data storage not five minutes after Chief went into cryo so I wouldn't be all murderous and crazy by the time I was found. And before Tali can ask about how you can all be sure of that, consider that I've been with the Master Chief since he first woke up. That's right, I was in his head giving him tactical advice _the whole time_. If I wanted to kill you all, I would've done it by now and, trust me, there were plenty of oppportunities to do just that. Chief has been keeping me a secret this whole time since the Council consider AI's like me to be a big no-no, which is why both the Chief and myself would appreciate it if none of you breathe a word of my existence to the Citadel Council. This'll be our little secret! What else? Oh yeah. Garrus actually already knows about me; he found out about me after rescuing me from Dr. Saleon back on the Citadel. Sorry about ratting you out Garrus, but I told the squad THAT story so I could explain that the reason the Chief has been acting like a jerkass lately is because he and Garrus got into an argument last night over whether or not I should be kept a secret from the crew, and Chief is all angsty because the whole argument opened up an old wound, the wound in question being the fact that he is the Last Spartan, all his brothers and sisters in arms now dead and gone. Turns out he's actually really depressed about that, and has opted to deal with that depression by shutting himself away from the crew, even though they'd probably understand him and empathize with him, thus relieving his crushing loneliness, if he'd just stop sulking once in a while and actually bothered to talk to them! Well, Tali caught me despite my best efforts to stay hidden, so I guess it's all a moot point now! And he's sort of paying for his attitude now, since he's been captured by Saren, which probably wouldn't have happened if the Chief didn't go it alone. However, Saren also has the coordinates to Halo. Why Saren wants Halo, I have no idea, but it can't end well for us if he finds it. So, despite the fact that he's been a real jerk lately, we're gonna _have _to rescue that manic-depressive neanderthal if only because we could use his help in getting that data from Saren. Any questions?"

The squad just stood there, shocked from how much Cortana said and how quickly she said it all. It shouldn't come as a surprise to them, given that AI's don't need to stop to breathe.

"No questions? Lovely!" Cortana enthusiastically replied. "Okay boys and girls, let's put on our thinking caps. How are we gonna rescue the Master Chief?"

...

**I hope I got that scientific explanation for biotic explosions right. That's my own personal theory on how they work. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me.**

**By the way, I'm currently tossing around a couple other ideas I had for fanfics. Yes I know. "Last Spartan updates take long enough as it is! We'll never get to see Cortana and the squad rescue the Chief if you decide to start some side projects!" Yeah, but as any half-decent writer will tell you, we can't help but come up with ideas for stories. Our muses are like whiny, needy girlfriends. We WANT to deny them, but then they give you those puppy-dog eyes and how are you supposed to say no to those?!**

**Anyway, I've actually written like, the first three chapters of one of the other fanfics I have planned. Oddly enough, those chapters don't take as long to write as the Last Spartan's. I think it's cuz;**

**1. I don't have to do as much research (Whenever I write a chapter of TLS, I like to have both the Mass Effect and Halo wiki's on standby on my browser. And trust me, I end up using them a fair bit).**

**2. It's a comedy / parody, which means it won't be taken as seriously as this fanfic, so I don't need to take it seriously myself. When you don't care much for writing details and just want to get to the nitty-gritty, it's amazing how much faster I can write.**

**Now yes, I've tried this before with Team Effect 2, and we all saw how that turned out. But I abandoned that fic because I just didn't have the drive for it. Really, the only reason I tried to write that thing was because I came up with a bunch of one-off jokes the TF2 guys could use in a Mass Effect setting and I wanted a story to link it all together. Problem was, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn't a real story. It was just Mass Effect 2's plot with Team Fortress jokes written in.**

**This other comedy fic I have planned would be different. Mostly cuz, just like with the Last Spartan, I care enough about the idea to want to do it. This comedy fic has actually been bouncing around in my head since I was in High School, WAY back in 2008, and well before I even came up with the idea for a Halo / Mass Effect crossover if you can believe it. This fic may (or may not) be updated more frequently than the Last Spartan, won't take itself as seriously, oh, and it has nothing to do with either Halo or Mass Effect. What would the fanfic be about, you ask? Let's just say it would be of something very dear to my childhood...and I would have no moral repercussions about deconstructing it BIT BY BIT.**

**So yeah. Would anyone be willing to read a fanfic like that?**

**Oh, and one more thing. Some of you are probably wondering why Saren doesn't want to fire Halo. I mean, Halo can destroy every sentient being in the galaxy, and the Reapers want to do exactly that. So why wouldn't the Reapers want to fire the bloody thing? And if they don't want to fire Halo, why else would they be interested in it?**

**You know what one picture Peptuck likes to use whenever someone asks an interesting question regarding his fanfic, Renegade? You know, the one of David Xanatos from Gargoyles sitting in his chair with his hands clasped and generally looking like he's plotting something? Yeah, I'd post that picture here if I could**


	31. Rock Anthem for Saving the World

**Well, I'm kinda sorta kicking myself right now. Mostly cuz I just watched a Halo 4 ViDoc that covered the design of the Prometheans and, get this, they are NOT robots. I kick myself because they're being used as robots in this fanfic right now. And it's a little late to retcon them out now.**

**Still, one must wonder, if the Prometheans aren't robots...what are they?**

**Also, Ranger24's review. Cortana reminded him of the Doctor in that last scene? Weird. I wasn't trying to invoke the Doctor, but now that I read through it, yeah, I can totally imagine her saying all that with a rapid-fire English accent.**

**And now I'm suddenly imagining Cortana cosplaying as the Tenth Doctor. No disrespect to Matt Smith, but David had a trenchcoat. Trenchcoats are cool. So yeah. Cortana cosplaying as the Tenth Doctor. Someone with a deviantART account, get on that.**

**Now then, onto Chapter 31, in which I take a page out of Random Equinox's playbook.**

...

1306 Hours, March 6th, 2683

Underground Forerunner Complex, Beneath the Surface of Eletania

Hercules System, Attican Beta Cluster

...

The Chief eventually found himself carried into a truly gigantic chamber. The ceiling was easily three hundred feet high, a glowing orb that almost looked like a miniature sun floating near the center of the ceiling, casting a bright light on the whole chamber. On the walls were rows of windows looking into adjacent hallways. There was a row of such windows every fifty feet, dotted by balconies and ledges that looked down on the whole chamber. Massive butresses six feet wide lined the walls, reaching all the way up to the ceiling. The chamber itself was easily as long as three or four football fields and twice as wide as such a field.

Saren had apparently taken advantage of the sheer size of this chamber by using it as a primary command post. The chamber was a flurry of activity as Chief saw Geth troopers, Krogan warriors and Asari commandos on their way to or returning from some location or other, walking in and walking out the many huge doorways that lined the walls every fifty yards.

The Geth carrying him eventually set him down on a table seemingly in the dead center of the whole chamber, right underneath the miniature sun. His visor automatically polarized to counter the blinding light being shone right on his face. Chief turned his head and saw Saren inserting a data crystal, the one containing the information on Halo, into a Geth computer console.

"That data crystal won't do you much good." Chief said. "Files are heavily encrypted."

"I noticed." Saren countered. "That's what this terminal is for. A couple thousand Geth runtimes should be able to crack the code before lunch."

Chief's gaze dotted to one of Saren's pockets. Specifically the pocket that held Cortana's data crystal. He silently made the AI promise. He was going to get her back. And Saren was going to pay for his crimes.

...

"Clear." Garrus said after peaking around a corner and seeing no hostiles. Kaidan walked past the Turian, who then followed the biotic, along with Liara, Wrex and Tali, down the hall.

"Alright." Tali began. "Ignoring the fact that it was an _AI _that came up with this plan..."

"Thank you for being open-minded, Tali." Cortana quipped over TEAMCOM.

"...Ignoring that, this plan is _still _crazy." Tali finished.

"Sometimes crazy's the way to go." Wrex stated.

"See? Wrex likes my plan." Cortana said.

"The bloodthirsty Krogan approves of the AI's plan. Oh yes. That makes me feel _so _much better." Tali sarcastically replied.

Ignoring Tali's comments, Kaidan held up his omni-tool. It glowed blue as Cortana's avatar appeared. "How you holdin' up?" Kaidan asked.

"Your hardsuit's nice." Cortana replied with a shrug. "Though it's not as roomy as Chief's. No offense."

"None taken." Kaidan replied. Before the squad left the storage closet they were holing up in earlier, Kaidan had downloaded Cortana into a spare data crystal he had so that she could physically go with them. She was currently plugged into Kaidan's hardsuit, allowing her to communicate with the squad at will via Kaidan's suit radio.

"We're about seventy yards from our objective." Cortana reported before her avatar shrunk back into the biotic's omni-tool. Kaidan raised N'tho on TEAMCOM.

"N'tho? You find Alpha force yet?" he asked.

...

"Yeah." N'tho replied as he craned his neck around the corner. "About to make contact now, stand by."

Around the corner was the Flood, the most vile creatures ever spawned by evolution. The very nature of their wretched existence made N'tho's skin crawl. The Sangheili shuttered as he watched the Flood carry out their work. Dozens of combat forms and a few tank forms were tending to Flood growth pods that were now growing on the walls and floor of the corridor, which had become thick with Flood biomass. The pods twitched and convulsed with promises of a new wave of filth.

N'tho took a moment to take a deep breath, ignoring the vile stench of the parasites, and summoned all his courage.

He swung around the corner.

"Ding dong! Ding dong!" N'tho cried out. "Lunch is served! Fresh Sangheili burrito over here! Come and get it!"

The Flood forms simply stared at the elite, apparently astonished that this Sangheili would be dumb enough to announce its presence.

One of the tank forms then roared at him.

"...And with that, I suddenly realize that this is the single stupidest thing I've ever done." N'tho quipped before making a u-turn and bolting down the corridor, the Flood hot on his heels.

"Alpha force is on its way!" N'tho reported.

...

With one last shot from its Z-180 close combat rifle, the Promethean knight finished off the odd one-eyed synthetic. The interloper disintegrated into a glowing, amber-colored ash. The knight looked around and found, to its satisfaction, that that was the last interloper. Its fellow knights' weapons smoked from recent fire, the crawlers sniffing the piles of ash that were once enemies. This part of the creators' sanctum was secure, but the infestation was spreading fast. If the Prometheans did not act quickly-

"Hey!"

...

It seemed that Ashley had successfully garnered the attention of the Forerunner mechs, which were called 'Prometheans' according to Cortana, as they all focused on her immediately after she shouted at them.

An awkward silence ensued as the Prometheans stared expectantly at the marine. Ashley realized that this was as far ahead as she planned.

"...Er..." Ashley stuttered. "Oh! Prometheans? More like _Pussy_metheans!"

The awkward silence returned.

"Pussymetheans? Really?" Cortana asked over TEAMCOM. "_That_ was the best you could come up with?"

One of the Promethean knights, a large one with what looked like orange crystals protruding from its back, roared at the marine, revealing its true face. The other knights did the same shortly afterwards. "Well apparently, it WORKED!" Ashley shot back before turning around and breaking into a run, the Prometheans giving chase.

...

"Bravo force is inbound." Cortana reported as she appeared on Kaidan's omni-tool.

"Are you sure?" Kaidan asked. Cortana snapped her fingers, and Ashley's voice crackled through TEAMCOM.

"FOXTROT FOXTROT FOXTROT SIERRA FOXTROT SIERRAN FOXTROTS FOXTROTTING A SIERRA UP THE DELTA!" Ashley swore.

Cortana snapped her fingers again, turning off Ashley's feed. "Pretty much." the AI smugly said.

"Alright then." Kaidan said. He pointed two fingers at the doorway. "Charlie Team. Let's rock."

...

"Hmmmm..." Saren eyeballed the Geth terminal's screen closely. "Complete encryption is taking a bit longer than I hoped. The Geth have deciphered that there's a ring somewhere in the Attican Traverse, but they have yet to narrow down its location to a star system."

"You don't sound too mad about it." Chief pointed out, still lying limp on the table, unable to do a thing with that damn collar around his neck.

"I'm a patient man." Saren replied. "Besides, now that you've been dealt with, there are no longer any urgencies that require my immediate attention. I'm in no hurry."

"What about the nuke?" Chief asked. "You said it'd be going off soon. Thought you'd want to clear out of here ASAP."

"And you said you had 'guys' working on that." Saren replied. "Apparently they succeeded, since the nuke should've gone off by now. Again, no matter. My Geth will hunt them down, kill them, and once I've got everything I need, I'll turn the nuke back on and-"

It was then that both Saren and the Chief suddenly heard something very odd. The lyrical pluckings of a deeply-tuned stringed instrument that was suddenly being broadcast throughout the facility. It was music.

_I dreamt I died and I fell,_

_A hundred miles straight down to Hell,_

_Old Nick was waitin' there for me,_

_He said 'At last somebody I _want _to see!_

_You gotta help me keep control,_

_Why dontcha gimme back some Rock n' Roll?'_

Saren was confused by the raspy voice that suddenly rhymed out all around him. "What is-"

As the electric guitar suddenly ripped through the air, one of the Geth exploded, cutting off Saren's confused question. Then, the rogue Spectre and his forces suddenly found themselves showered by enemy fire. Saren instinctively took out his pistol and leapt for cover behind a pile of crates. He looked up and saw the source of the incoming fire. Five assorted individuals were firing down on them from the far side of the room. The Turian raised his pistol and returned fire.

...

_Hell ain't hot enough for me!_

_Hell ain't hot enough for me!_

_I don't want disco!_

_Don't wanna rave!_

_Gimme some psycho-rockin', or I'll keep you in this grave!_

_Want me to set you free?_

_Make Hell hot enough for me!_

"Why are we playing music?!" Garrus yelled as he ducked for cover behind the half-wall around the balcony's edge.

"Twentieth century rock song. Found it on N'tho's omni-tool playlist." Cortana haughtily replied. "I figured if we were going to start a party, we'd need some appropriate music."

...

_I wanna help you baby, don't need no threats,_

_You wanna rock in Hell, yeah? Well I'm your safest bet!_

_Stand back a little way, I'll turn it on,_

_I show you crazy demons how to really get gone!_

_I got the power for you!_

_I got the soul!_

_I wanna give the Devil back the Devil's Rock n' Roll!_

If N'tho wasn't so pre-occupied with the fact that eldritch parasites were chasing him and want to eat him, he'd be able to appreciate the Meteors blaring through the facility's intercom system as he entered the huge chamber.

N'tho ran out of a doorway on the far side of the chamber, running past a pair of Krogan warriors. Noticing that a Sangheili just ran past them, the Krogan turned and fired on him. Unfortunately, this left them unable to notice the Flood infection forms pouncing on them and burrowing into their hides, adding them to the parasitic horde. A number of Saren's forces on that side of the room focused their attention away from the small group on the balcony and towards the Flood that began attacking them from that side of the room.

As the Geth began occupying themselves with dealing with the Flood, N'tho activated his active camo and faded from sight.

...

As the guitar solo went on, Ashley Williams ran out of a doorway on the other side of the chamber, opposite from where N'tho came out. The Geth opened fire on her as she ran in, but she activated an overshield, giving her more time to run over to a pile of crates and leap behind it for cover. The Prometheans entered the chamber soon after, only to find themselves suddenly set upon by the Geth. One of the knights roared in fury before raising its light rifle and opening fire on a nearby Geth trooper.

_Where's all the dancin' girls I've heard about?_

_You can't bung 'em all, so trot 'em on out,_

_Let's stomp the world apart, jump up and down,_

_And show these suckers who really wears the crown!_

_Thunderstorm and lightning, earthquakes and freeze,_

_Let's rock the whole world right down to its knees, oh yeah!_

Ashley peeked over the crates to observe the chaos that was now unfolding in the Grand Hall. So far, things were going according to plan. It was crazy, luring both the Flood and the Prometheans to keep the majority of Saren's forces occupied while the squad rescue the Chief. And yet, it was working well so far. With the Flood on one end, and the Prometheans on the other, the Geth were forced to fight a battle on two fronts which, according to conventional military wisdom, was always a bad position to be in. As for the rock music, Ashley figured it was part of the distraction too. Basically, the plan was to start a bar fight and then sneak out back with the Chief while everyone was busy breaking bottles over each other's heads.

The plan was crazy. And unfortunately for the squad, Cortana liked crazy.

Now that the Geth were adequately occupied, it was time for the tricky part; rendezvousing with the rest of the squad below the balcony. Not an easy feet, considering all the Geth, Flood and Prometheans standing between her current position and her objective. Hopefully, the fact that they're as keen on murdering each other as they are her will mitigate the peril involved. Re-activating her overshield, the marine came out of cover and once again bolted.

_Hell ain't hot enough for me..._

So far, so good. She passed by several skirmishes. A team of Geth troopers ganging up on a Flood tank form (and getting massacred for their troubles), a Promethean knight running circles around a Krogan warrior, a pack of Promethean crawlers tearing into a Flood combat form, all of whom didn't even seem to notice Ashley running by.

_It still ain't hot enough for me..._

That was when something suddenly hit Ashley hard, sending her flying until she hit the wall. She picked herself back up and saw an Asari commando marching towards the marine with biotics emanating around her arms and murder in her eyes. She was probably the one that smacked Ashley into the wall.

_Keep on tryin' to get it fryin'..._

Ashley picked up her rifle and fired at the approaching Asari. But it was no use. The biotic commando was wrapped in a biotic barrier and kept on marching, apparently not even noticing the shots bouncing off her barrier. The Asari smirked, apparently amused by Ashley's less-than-effective attempts at killing her, as she raised a fist full of biotic power, intending to unleash it all on the Human before her.

_We'll get Nick soon, wait and see..._

The malice on the Asari's face was suddenly replaced with pained shock as she stopped in her tracks. It was then that Ashley noticed that the air behind the Asari seemed distorted. Like the light was being refracted. It was then that the silhouette was filled in by a young Sangheili wearing black armor, who then pulled an energy dagger from the Asari's back.

_It's comin' to a thousand degrees!_

_Yeah but, it ain't hot enough for me..._

N'tho talked and acted more like a reckless teenager than the well-spoken warriors Ashley thought most Sangheili were like. Indeed, N'tho himself had said that he was pretty much that as far as Sangheili society was concerned; a teenager who, while gifted, lacked battlefield experience. Because of his youth and attitude, it was sometimes easy to forget that N'tho was still a Sangheili, which meant that he was nearly eight feet tall, easily standing a head or two above other species. N'tho looked particularly huge as he stood behind the Asari, towering over her. Once he pulled the dagger free from her back, she fell to her knees. "Here's a move I call the 'In and Out.'" N'tho quipped before delivering the fatal blow. He quickly stabbed the Asari right in the head, and then pulled the energy blade out just as quickly, letting the Asari slump to the ground. Her new head wound smoked as her grey matter was cooked by plasma.

_It's gettin' to a thousand degrees!_

_Yeah but, it ain't hot enough for me..._

"Thanks for the save." Ashley said.

"Don't mention it." N'tho replied as he helped the Human back up. "Come on. Rendezvous's just a few yards ahead."

_I've got the Devil on his bended knees and he's screamin'_

_"Hell ain't hot enough for me!"_

...

"This is Ashley! Me and N'tho are right below you guys!" Ashley reported over TEAMCOM, the sound of gunfire crackling through the bandwidth along with her voice. "Be advised, Rendezvous point is hot!"

"Roger that, Ash." Kaidan replied. The biotic turned to the rest of the squad. "We're going down, people. Wrex, you're up first. Help Ashley and N'tho clear that area. Garrus, Tali, you two get in position."

The three aliens winked green as Wrex switched out his assault rifle for his shotgun. He then bent his knees low as his whole body glowed with biotics before disappearing into thin air. He reappeared on the ground, ramming into a Promethean knight as he did so, picking off the crawlers with his shotgun while they were stunned and crushing the watcher with a biotic warp.

"Okay. Garrus. Tali. You two ready?" Kaidan asked. The two of them nodded. Kaidan and Liara then warmed up their biotics. Garrus and Tali jumped off the balcony just as Kaidan and Liara each cast a light biotic drift on each of them, slowing their descent to the floor. The two aliens landed on their feet, fifty feet below the balcony, no worse for wear. Kaidan and Liara then cast biotic auras on themselves as they leapt off, lazily floating down to the floor as if they were sinking to the bottom of a very deep pool. Their feet eventually met floor as they raised their weapons.

Cortana slapped an arrow on the squad's HUDs. One that hovered above the Master Chief lying limp on a table in the center of the chamber, dead ahead. "Alright boys and girls, let's keep this party going!" the AI enthusiastically declared.

"Forward!" Kaidan ordered as the squad moved towards their new objective.

...

"Come on, come on..." Saren growled as he glared at the Geth terminal's screen. He would routinely break his gaze from the screen to shoot at an infection form or crawler that would try to sneak up on him before resuming his gaze. He snarled as he kicked the computer. "Come on you worthless runtimes!" he roared.

The Chief was still lying on the table, limp as a ragdoll and unable to react to the conflict around him. His instincts cried out for the Spartan to grab a weapon and get into the fight, but as long as that collar was still around his neck, his body simply could not comply. It frustrated him to no end, since there was little stopping a Flood infection form from just crawling up to him, burrowing through his armor, and infecting him. Or a knight from walking up to him and beheading him with its blade arm. Just his luck that both the Flood _and _those Forerunner mechs would break into this chamber and start a battle while he could do nothing about it. And then there was the music.

_Well I stopped my bike outside some joint,_

_I liked the sound that I could hear!_

_Well they was rockin' and a-rollin' and a-rippin' it up,_

_I thought I'd get myself a beer._

Quite frankly, Chief had no idea why twentieth-century psychobilly was blaring through the chamber's intercom system. Hell, he didn't even know the chamber _had _an intercom system.

_Some guy at the door just looked at me and said 'What the Hell are you?'_

_Said 'Man, I am a psychokat. And I need to talk to you!'_

It was then that the Geth terminal Saren was standing in front of violently exploded, as if hit by a grenade. The explosion took out Saren's shields and knocked him on his ass. "No!" Saren barked, upset that he'd just lost his roadmap to Halo. He looked and saw an approaching group of attackers and fired at them with his pistol. Before he could react beyond that, he was hit by a ball of biotic energy that sent him flying across the room.

"Damn, that felt good." A voice remarked.

"...Wrex?" Chief asked, recognizing the Krogan's voice. He saw a familiar Asari enter his field of view. "Liara?"

_Well, the Devil he taught us how to rock,_

_And then he turned us loose!_

"Hold on a moment." Liara said as she fiddled with the neural inhibitor collar around the Chief's neck until it came loose. Suddenly, the Spartan's whole body stopped feeling numb. He could feel everything below his neck again. The shock of all that sensation overwhelmed him for half a second before he immediately sat up and got off the table. He saw his whole squad in front of him.

_We ain't quite the same as you,_

_Yeah but, we got a good excuse!_

Kaidan walked up to the Chief and handed him a data crystal that he withdrew from his omni-tool. "I believe this belongs to you." he said as he handed it to the Chief. "This was all her idea by the way." he said with a nod to the crystal.

Her?

On a hunch, the Chief slid the data crystal into the back of his helmet and heard a familiar voice. "See, _this _is why I thought going after Saren on your own was a bad idea." the voice lectured.

"Cortana?" Chief asked. "You're okay?"

"Yes. Kaidan was a perfect gentleman." the AI quipped.

_I ain't got yo' fashion sense,_

_Well, you sure look swell,_

_But I can make these monsters dance,_

_So open up the gates of Hell!_

"Attention everyone!" Saren suddenly shouted. He flew high into the air on some kind of mobile floating platform. He pointed at the Spartan. "The Master Chief is free! And he stuck a data crystal in his helmet! A data crystal containing the location to Halo!"

The melee suddenly slowed down to a crawl as all eyes focused on the Chief and his team. Suddenly the squad heard a chorus consisting of the gurgling roars of Flood, the high-pitched screeches of Promethean knights, the robotic stutters of Geth troopers, the blood-howls of Krogan ready to charge, and the warping sounds of Asari warming up their biotics.

"...I hate that guy." Ashley said. As the horde of enemies closed around them, Saren shot the squad one last triumphant smirk before his flying platform zoomed off through a massive doorway on the far side of the room.

"Looks like we're gonna have to fight our way out of here." Cortana remarked.

"That won't be easy." Chief said as he looked around at all the things that suddenly wanted _him _dead. Even he couldn't fight his way out of this. Not on his own.

But he wasn't on his own.

_Well I got me a mean little band, I could show you what we do._

_We could really set this place alight!_

Chief picked up the light rifle the Geth had confiscated from him earlier while his squad formed a circular formation with him, all of their backs to one another as they pointed their guns at the horde surrounding them.

_And if you got the sense, or at least the balls, to put us on your stage,_

_You would see the wildest thing you've ever seen in your damn life!_

The horde of enemies finally grew tired of waiting and charged at the squad from all sides. "Open fire!" Chief shouted over TEAMCOM.

_I got me a drummer who hits so hard,_

_He can knock down fuckin' walls!_

Wrex barked out a laugh as he headbutted a husk to the ground and then stomped its neck with his boot, hearing a satisfying crack as its spinal cord broke. He looked up and saw more husks moaning as they half ran, half shambled towards him. He raised his shotgun and gunned all but one of them down. His weapon overheated before he could kill the last one and he simply thwacked its skull with the shotgun butt as it approached, bursting the skull open and spilling a gallon of black ichor on the floor. The Krogan noticed a Promethean knight spawning a watcher as an entourage of crawlers galloped to its side. The Battlemaster grinned, knowing exactly how to deal with the group from watching them on the video feeds as well as from Cortana's tactical advice while they were planning this whole party. Wrex took out a spike grenade, the last one he had, and threw it at the knight. Just as planned, the watcher caught it in mid-air and began twirling it around. The Krogan aimed his shotgun and fired at the grenade, setting it off and sending spikes into the knight, the watcher, and all those little robo-varren. Wrex grinned. This was a good fight.

_And a Hellbound slappin' bass player,_

_That'll shake you to your balls!_

Garrus threw a tech grenade at the feet of an approaching team of Geth Troopers. It detonated, burning out not only their shields, but their weapons as well. The Turian followed it up with a series of short, controlled bursts from his assault rifle, each burst neatly drilled into each Geth's chest cavity. One by one, they all fell down in a row, much to the former C-Sec officer's satisfaction. He then noticed a Flood tank form along with a pair of combat forms. Garrus switched to his sniper rifle and aimed down the scope. He killed the tank form with a single headshot. He killed the first combat form with another single headshot. Unfortunately, that was when the rifle overheated, and that second combat form was closing in fast. Garrus then flipped the sniper rifle over in his hands and used it like a club, hitting the combat form across its 'face' with the rifle butt and knocking it to the ground. Garrus switched back to holding the rifle the right way and aimed it at the combat form on the ground. He killed it with a third singular headshot.

_Then I'll plug in my old guitar,_

_Just to make it sweet!_

_And then we'll play some psychobilly_

_That'll knock you off your bleedin' feet!_

The Chief used the light rifle to gun down Geth after Geth and husk after husk. The scope was odd with its orange borders around its crosshairs, but the Spartan could grasp it easily enough. So far, he had scored twenty-two successful kills with it. He aimed down the scope towards a charging Krogan warrior and pulled the trigger, but got nothing but got nothing but a click. The light rifle's magazine was empty, and unfortunately, Chief didn't know how to reload it. Perhaps it was like the Alliance's new rifles or the old Covenant plasma rifles; the Forerunner weapon didn't run out of ammo, it just overheated. Either way, the warrior was closing fast so Chief had to think of something quick. He tossed the rifle aside and punched the the Krogan right in his face, wrenching away his weapon while he was stunned. A Tornado MK VII. That would do. He unloaded a few rounds into the Krogan's face. It was apparently modded with cryo ammo, as the Krogan's entire upper body soon froze into ice. Chief shattered the ice statue in front of him with a single punch. He then opened fire on other incoming enemies, literally freezing them mid-charge.

_We'll fill the place with mutants,_

_That'll drink the whole place dry!_

A Flood tank form charged at the squad, roaring the whole way. Kaidan stopped it dead in its tracks with a biotic warp. Snot-green ichor burst from the tank form's chest cavity as the biotic field shredded its torso. Ashley then tossed a frag grenade at the tank form, right where the biotic warp hit. The grenade actually embedded itself into the Flood's sticky flesh before detonating, sending bits of rotten meat and pale green goo everywhere before the tank form collapsed to the floor in a heap.

_Wild and crazy devil girls,_

_So hot they'll burn your eyes!_

An Asari commando biotically charged right into Liara, knocking her to the ground. Seeing that her comrade was in trouble, Tali quickly knelt down, pulled her combat knife from her boot strap, and rushed up to the commando. Before the commando could even see her coming, the Quarian jammed her knife right into the Asari's stomach. After she pulled it out and allowed the Asari to fall over and bleed out, Tali pulled out pistol and put a few rounds in the commando's skull. She then grabbed Liara's hand and helped her up. Liara returned the favor by throwing a singularity at an approaching group of Promethean crawlers that were about to lunge at the two of them while they were distracted.

_You won't regret a thing,_

_Unless your answer's no._

_If that's the case, we'll head on out,_

_And give some other lucky bastard a show!_

N'tho had just gunned down three rampaging Krogan warriors when, wrapped in a biotic field of some sort, his minigun was suddenly cracking and crunching. He looked over and saw that an Asari commando had hit his weapon with a biotic warp, apparently in an attempt to disarm him. With a snarl, N'tho whipped out, primed, and then threw a plasma grenade at her. She ducked, the grenade missing her completely. She stood back up and triumphantly smirked at the Sangheili.

Little did the commando know that, while N'tho didn't stick her, he _did _stick the Geth trooper standing behind her. When the grenade detonated, she was caught in the blast too.

Once that problem was dealt with, N'tho picked his mingun back up and noted it was now in poor shape. The chassis was cracked, there was plasma leaking from the plasma tank, the combustion chamber was messed up, N'tho was worried that the damn thing might explode if he pulled the trigger.

It was then that he noticed a Flood combat form charging in his direction, its weapon firing wildly in all directions and roaring as it came. It lunged at the elite, but N'tho raised his minigun to block the attack. The combat form wrapped it tentacles around the large weapon and tried to rip it from N'tho's grip.

"What the-Hey!" N'tho yelled at the Flood. "_My _minigun! Not yours!"

The Flood responded by roaring right in the Sangheili's face, blasting his nostrils with the scent of death and decay. The Sangheili coughed and shuttered before resuming the tug of war with a fierce snarl. He couldn't let this parasite take the weapon from him. If it did, it would...

N'tho got an idea.

"On second thought, you can have it." N'tho said as he shoved the minigun into the combat form's grip. "Kaidan! Little help!" he blurted out. Kaidan, sensing what the elite's plan was, biotically pushed the combat form away, sending it flying a good ten feet away. Upon landing, however, the parasite recovered quickly as it stood up with its prize. It gurgled out an evil laugh as it aimed the plasma minigun at N'tho and pulled the trigger.

The minigun then exploded, enveloping the Flood combat form and several nearby infection forms in a brilliant plume of blue fire. "I'm gonna miss that thing." N'tho said to himself as he pulled out his trusty needler shotgun and gunned down the incoming enemies.

_We Wanna Wreck Here!_

_We Wanna Wreck Here!_

_We Wanna Wreck Here!_

_We Wanna Wreck Here!_

Liara biotically lifted a Promethean knight into the air, then launched a ball of biotic energy at it, igniting a biotic explosion that sent it flying through the air and crashing on top of a Flood combat form upon landing. Tali hacked a Geth juggernaut into taking the squad's side and it helped her mow down an incoming wave of husks. When the hack wore off, Garrus drilled a neat hole into its chest to ensure the juggernaut didn't turn on them. A Promethean crawler lunged at Wrex, but the Krogan caught it in mid-air and threw it at some poor dumb Geth trooper.

_That's the only thing we wanna do!_

_That's the only thing we wanna do!_

_Yeah, that's the only thing we wanna do!_

_Hell, that's the only thing we wanna dooo, yeah!_

"Wow, Chief." Cortana commented. "Geth, Flood, Prometheans, it's like a mosh pit and everyone who ever tried to kill you was invited. Too bad the Covenant and Insurrectionists couldn't make it."

A Krogan warrior roared as he charged at the Chief. The Spartan stopped the warrior with a shotgun butt to its nose followed by a few shots to its throat. The Krogan turned into an ice statue and fell over, shattering into a million pieces when Chief stomped on the alien with his boot. He then saw a whole pack of Flood combat forms coming so the Spartan knelt down and grabbed a frag grenade dropped from an earlier kill. He then threw it right into the middle of the Flood. The grenade detonated, sending bits of flesh and bone and ichor everywhere. What the Chief recognized as a Flood-infected Krogan arm slowly rolled towards him from the site of the explosion and came to a rest at his foot.

As the song wound down, Chief and his team noted that they were now the only things left standing in the giant room. All the Asari and Krogan were corpses. All the Geth were scrap. All the Prometheans were ash. And all the Flood were piles of body parts and stains on the floor.

"...We won?" Tali asked, apparently surprised that they were all still alive.

"Evidently." Kaidan replied.

Wrex let out a contented sigh. "That was fun." he said.

"And a waste of our time." Chief said as he looked towards the doorway Saren slipped through. "Saren's getting away and he's already got a headstart. Let's move."

...

"Er, guys? We've got a problem." Cortana reported over TEAMCOM as the squad bolted down the corridor. By now, the Chief had pieced together that Cortana had to reveal her existence to the squad so that she could formulate a rescue mission for the Spartan. He had a feeling that there was going to be some fallout to deal with later because of that, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, it seemed he had a bigger problem.

"What now?" Chief asked.

"I've been listening in on Promethean communications, and it doesn't sound good." Cortana reported. "They're saying that they've failed to contain the Flood. Network's teeming with reports of Flood all over the facility. Since they can't contain the Flood the old-fasioned way, they're gonna switch to their last resort."

"Halo?" N'tho asked.

"Actually, no." Cortana answered. "They say they need to 'sentence this facility to oblivion.'"

"What the hell does _that _mean?" Wrex demanded.

"I don't know, but I don't think we wanna hang around to find out." Cortana replied.

"Which is why we need to grab Saren and get out. _Now._" Chief said. The squad turned the corner and saw Saren and a cadre of standing by a Geth dropship in a massive hangar at the end of the hall.

"Hold on, Chief. I've got an idea." Cortana said. "Liara. Lift him."

"What?" the Asari asked.

"Lift him! We don't have much time!" Cortana urgently pressed. Liara then biotically lifted the Chief into the air. The Spartan then noticed that an overshield was forming around him. Cortana's doing no doubt. "Alright, Liara. Launch him. Aim for Saren. Hold on to your teeth, Spartan. This is gonna be bumpy."

Closing her eyes and probably praying that she wouldn't accidentally kill the Master Chief, she hit the Spartan with a biotic throw, triggering a biotic explosion that sent the Spartan rocketing down the hall, right at Saren. As the squad opened fire on the Geth entourage, Chief saw Saren jerk his head up at the Spartan and widen his eyes. "You can _fly_?!" Saren exclaimed. Chief held out his arm as he noted that he'd pass right by Saren. As he flew by, he grabbed Saren's collar and then let go while they were both still in mid-air. Chief rolled his body upon landing like he'd been trained to do after falling a ways while Saren tumbled across the floor like a ragdoll. Chief finally came to a stop kneeling on one knee and pointing his tornado shotgun at Saren.

"And for a brick, I do it pretty good." Chief remarked.

Saren rose to his feet with a snarl and lashed out his organic hand, using his bioitcs to 'slap' the shotgun out of the Spartan's hands. The Chief then rose to his feet himself and rushed up to Saren. Saren thrust out his organic arm again to launch another biotic attack, but the SPARTAN-II was quicker this time. Chief grabbed that arm by the wrist with his right hand, yanking it towards him, dislocating Saren's arm yet again. Chief then raised his left arm into an L-shape and slammed his elbow on Saren's outstrecthed arm.

Saren cried out in pain as he dropped to his knees, his synthetic hand gripping and squeezing his newly broken arm. Chief then picked up Saren by his collar with both hands and held him up to his eye level, leaving the former Spectre's feet dangling. "You're coming with me, Saren." Chief icily stated.

A biotic aura surrounded Saren's head. "I don't think so, John." he icily stated in turn. He reared his head back and gave Chief a biotic headbutt, cracking the Spartan's visor. The blow made the Chief stagger back, reflexively releasing Saren from his grip as he did so. He noted that his shields were depleting rapidly and his body was wrapped in another biotic aura. Saren thrust out the arm that wasn't broken, hitting Chief with a biotic throw, triggering yet another biotic explosion. With no shields to protect him, the dent in the Spartan's chest-piece turned into a crack as the Chief flew through the air, his back impacting hard against one of the buttresses on the wall before hitting the floor with a thunk.

Saren turned on his heels and made a break for it. He ran to the Geth dropship's door, gripping his broken arm the whole way, and leapt through it before Chief could recover from the blow. The Spartan shook off the pain welling in his chest just in time to see the door close behind Saren and the dropship take off. After dealing with the Geth bodyguards, the squad rushed over to the Chief's side as Saren's voice broadcasted over the dropship's loud speakers.

"This isn't over, John-117!" Saren declared. "I know Halo is _somewhere _in the Attican Traverse! I'll find it! You can be certain of that!"

The squad shot at the Geth dropship as it ascended, but its armor easily deflected the small arms fire. The ship ascended higher and higher towards the ceiling, the squad only just then noticing how the hanger's ceiling seemed to go up for miles. The dropship then sped off into a passage-way high above and out of sight. Saren Arterius had gotten away.

The Chief snarled as he pounded his fist against the floor, leaving a noticeable dent.

"Er, Chief? More bad news." Cortana reported.

"_What._" the Spartan demanded.

"Remember earlier when I said the Prometheans were going to 'sentence this facility to oblivion?' We've got about fifteen minutes until they do that. We need to get out of here." Cortana explained.

"How?" Chief asked.

"I'm accessing the Forerunner network now." The AI went on. "Okay. We can get out of here in just a few teleporter jumps. The first teleporter is just down this hallway." Cortana said as she slapped an arrow in the desired direction on everyone's HUD.

...

"'We can get out of here in just a few teleporter jumps!'" Tali mockingly imitated Cortana as she gunned down another Flood combat form. "Could've told us about THE BOSHING PARASITES ON THE WAY!"

"I _did _also say that the network's teeming with reports of Flood all over the facility." Cortana replied.

The squad had been running into trouble on their way out of the Forerunner complex. Basically, there seemed to be rampaging Flood virtually everywhere they turned. Making the situation even worse was, of course, the clock. Which meant they had to push on, even through hordes of Flood.

The Chief shot a Flood form with his cryo-modded shotgun, turning the parasitic freakshow into an ice-statue, which he promptly shattered into pieces with his shotgun butt. "That's the last of-"

The Chief was cut off by the tell-tale gurgles and skittering of the Flood. "No it's not." Garrus quipped.

A whole moving carpet of infection forms came around the corner, looking for their next meal. "Oh Keelah, the _spidery ones!_" Tali shrieked.

"Move! Through the teleporter!" Chief barked before turning around and dashing for the teleporter, the rest of the squad close behind.

...

On the other side of the teleporter, they suddenly found themselves in an oddly familiar small room. Chief looked out the window and saw another familiar room two hundred feet below with a star-shaped hologram on its far wall. This was the small room they were in earlier. "I hacked the teleporter network to take us here. Down this hall is the Planetarium of Ages, and then sweet freedom. Seal up your suits. Move it, people!" Cortana instructed.

The squad didn't need to be told twice as they bolted out the door. The Chief momentarily stayed behind to close and lock the door behind them in an attempt to stall the pursuing Flood. Once the door was locked, the Chief continued his breakneck sprint down the hall, easily catching up to the squad as the pillars that held up the night-sky ceiling seemed to flash by. If he had time to, the Spartan would reflect on the irony of how he was now sprinting down this corridor, as opposed to slowly and cautiously leapfrogging from pillar to pillar like last time. Eventually, the squad found itself in the Planetarium itself. They paused just long enough to make sure their suits were now atmospherically sealed before running through the teleporter.

...

The squad now found itself in the dimly lit cave chamber, where they had orginally entered the complex. Feeling they were now safe, the squad stopped to catch their breaths.

"...Guys." Cortana said over TEAMCOM. The squad collectively groaned in reply. "Eight minutes left on the clock, and I'm detecting large amounts of Cherenkov radiation emanating from the center of the complex. I've crunched the numbers and we are _not _outside the blast zone just yet."

"You heard the lady, keep running." Chief ordered as he bolted through the doorway out of the chamber and into the cave proper. Somewhat reluctantly, the squad followed.

They arrived at the ankle-deep pond within the cave, only to meet a sheer, eight-foot ledge. Chief easily jumped up and cleared the edge before helping the rest of the squad up the ledge one by one. After quickly navigating the cave, inexorably making their way to the light at the end, they ended up back on Eletania's surface. "Get to the mako." Cortana instructed as she slapped some arrows on the squad's HUD.

"This AI constantly telling me what to do is _seriously _getting on my nerves." Tali growled.

"Welcome to my world." Chief quipped in reply. With that, he took off in the direction Cortan's arrow pointed, as did the rest of the team.

Every time they reached a spot with Cortana's arrow on it, another arrow would appear, further guiding them to their destination. Some of the squad had trouble quickly navigating the labrynth of rocks and stones. While N'tho and Garrus had little difficulty thanks to the agility inherent to their races, Wrex and Tali were having more trouble. Wrex was nowhere near as agile as N'tho or Garrus, and Tali simply wasn't used to having to run through such rough terrain. She slipped and fell once, but Ashley quickly picked her up and kept the Quarian going.

Eventually, they arrived at their destination; the mako. "Everyone in! Now!" Chief ordered before climbing into the driver's seat. His team piled into the mako and once everyone was inside, all the doors closed and locked. "Cortana?"

"We wasted two much time in those rocks! Two minutes left! Floor it, Chief!" the AI urged.

"Everyone hang on!" Chief announced as he gassed it. The mako flew over the lip of the cliff face that it had scaled hours earlier, falling a hundred feet below and hitting the ground hard. Fortunately, the mako was designed to survive such drops and just kept on driving through the mossy field. "Fifty seconds left!" Cortana reported.

"Giger counter's going nuts!" Kaidan panickly reported from the co-pilot seat.

"And there's a light-show going on behind us!" Ashley reported from the turret gunner position. Chief's eyes dotted to a screen showing what Ashley was seeing. The air itself behind them actually seemed to be bending as blue-white sparks and particles flew through the air. Chief now knew what 'sentence the facility to oblivion' meant. He pressed his weight down on his foot, trying to will the mako to go faster. "Thirty seconds!" Cortana reported.

The mako found itself flying over the lip of yet another cliff and landing in a huge valley. "Ten seconds! Nine! Eight!"

"We get the idea!" Garrus yelled from his seat.

The mako continued to speed further and futher down the valley, the Chief desperate to milk every inch of distance out of every second.

And then, for a brief moment, the entire world was bathed in light. Light shone through the mako's windows, momentarily blinding the occupants. Chief felt the mako's wheels lift up off the ground, even through he didn't hit the jump jets. "Brace for impact!" Chief ordered as the mako sailed through the air. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the light faded. The Chief heard a banging on the roof of the vehicle as it hit the ground, bounced, hit the ground again, bounced again, and then bounced a few more times. The team felt like they were trapped in a tumbler dryer system. Then, finally, the mako landed on its wheels and came to a rest, next to an idyllic mountain river no less. The team climbed out of the mako as Joker's voice suddenly crackled through the mako's radio.

"_Normandy _to ground team. Come in ground team. Do you read?" Joker asked. As the team gathered outside, Chief stayed in the driver's seat to answer.

"This is Sierra-117. Ground team is still in one piece." Chief reported.

"What the hell's happening out there?" Joker asked. "We just detected a huge spike of Cherenkov radiation."

"The Forerunner facility was compromised. We just barely got out." Chief said. "Saren got away." he bitterly added.

"Yeah, and it looks like he's back on the _Sovereign._" Joker replied. "Intercepted radio transmissions and orbital scans are showing that the whole Geth fleet is starting to pull out from the system. They're hauling ass, too. Looks like they're about to make an FTL jump."

Chief balled his fists in anger. Son of a bitch was most likely limping off to the Terminus Systems to lick his wounds. Even if the _Normandy _picked them up right now and left Eletania's atmosphere, there'd be no way for the ship to catch the _Sovereign_ before it jumped to FTL. Saren slipped right through the Chief's fingers. The Spartan had failed his mission. Furthermore, Saren now knew that Halo was somewhere in the Attican Traverse, and would now be looking for it as well as the Conduit, and Chief still had no idea how the two were connected. Yes, Saren didn't know Halo's exact location anymore than Chief did, so this round was technically a draw. But it still felt more like a defeat to the Spartan.

"Copy, Sierra-117. You say the Forerunner facility was compromised?" Joker asked.

"Affirmative." Chief replied with a sigh.

"...You made the place explode, didn't you?" Joker sardonically asked.

Chief looked out the mako's window and saw what the rest of the squad was gaping at. Where once there was a mountain, now there was a perfectly spherical crater that was easily several kilometers wide and a few thousand feet deep. By a stroke of luck, the edge ended right where the mako landed, the squad standing near the lip of the crater, taking in the destruction that the massive slipspace rupture wrought.

"...I can categorically say no, the place didn't _ex_plode." Chief replied.

...

**And so ends the Eletania Arc! Now the whole team knows about Cortana's existence. We'll see the fallout of this revelation in the next chapter. Until then, drive safely, folks!**

**Oh, and the two songs I used for this chapter are "Hell Ain't Hot Enough for Me" and "We Wanna Wreck Here," both by the awesome psychobilly band, the Meteors. I think their music is oddly appropriate for a SPARTAN-II, given how often the Covenant call them "demons.**


	32. Wake Up, John

**All the Liara fans out there will hopefully like this one.**

...

1401 Hours, March 6th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

High orbit over Eletania

Hercules System, Attican Beta Cluster

...

Once they were back on the _Normandy _and their weapons were stored in their lockers on deck three, the squad reconvened in the comm room on deck one. As usual, they all sat in a circle, each of them sitting in a chair. An awkward silence ensued for a moment before Cortana materialized on Chief's omni-tool. Before the AI could even get a word in, Tali immediately rose up from her seat and walked towards the door. "Tali-"

"Let her go, Chief." Cortana cut the Spartan off as the Quarian left the room. Cortana sighed before turning to the rest of the squad. "I imagine Chief and I have some explaining to do."

"You're damn right!" Ashley snapped. She glared at the Spartan. "Cortana was alive and with us this whole time? Why didn't you tell us?"

"AI's are illegal in Citadel space, remember?" Chief reminded the marine. "I couldn't risk the Council finding out about her."

"So what if they do? You're a Spectre, remember?" Ashley argued. "You're above the law. Even if the Council do find out about Cortana, what are they gonna do about it?"

"Blacklist me like they did Saren." Chief replied. "I can't let that happen. It might cost the Alliance the Council seat they need."

"Council seat?" Ashley asked with a very blatant 'are you kidding me' tone in her voice. "You're a Spartan! Not a politician! Since when do you screw over your own team for the sake of a political agenda?!"

"I didn't 'screw over' anyone." Chief said. "You know how this works, Williams. Everything is on a need-to-know basis. And you didn't need to know about Cortana."

"Don't give me that! We had a-"

"_Enough._" Chief sternly said, interrupting the marine. "You're out of line. I don't want to hear another word out of you for the rest of this meeting."

Ashley glared daggers at the Spartan for a minute before turning away from him, instead opting to glare those daggers at the floor instead. "Alright then." Cortana said in a semi-cheery tone trying, and failing, to lighten the mood. "So, unless anyone has anything else to add, let's officially debrief. Here's where we stand. Thanks to a well-placed explosive round by Wrex, the Geth terminal back in the Grand Hall was destroyed before it could fully decrypt the data within the crystal. Meaning that Saren does not know Halo's exact location. That's the good news. The bad news is, we don't know its exact location either."

"So now we have _two _things to look for in the Attican Traverse. Halo and the Conduit." Garrus stated.

"Correct." the AI said.

"What I want to know is why Saren is interested in Halo." Liara threw in her two cents. "Up until now, he has only demonstrated an interest in Prothean ruins. Why the sudden interest in a Forerunner installation?"

"Saren said that there was something on Halo he wanted." Cortana replied.

"You and the Chief were on Halo a few times." Kaidan pointed out to the AI. "Was there anything on it that Saren would want?"

"Nothing obvious, no." Cortana replied. "The best thing I can come up with is the Flood. He had Saleon studying it on the Citadel. It's possible that he wants to find more of the Flood so he can weaponize them."

"Which is a bad idea." Garrus said. "I don't think anyone can really control those things."

"Whether he can actually control the Flood or not is ultimately irrelevant." Cortana pointed out. "If he finds the Flood on Halo and releases it for any reason, we're going to be in big trouble. Which is why it's vital that we find Halo before Saren does."

"Master Chief, we got a transmission from the Council incoming." Joker reported over the ship's intercom. "They just received the Eletania report, and I don't think they're happy. They wanna talk to you."

Chief groaned. "Team dismissed." Chief said. With that, the team left the com room, some more eager to leave the Spartan's presence than others. Summoning up some willpower, Chief stood up from his chair and stood in front of the three kiosks. "Patch them through." he resignedly said.

The images of Councilors Sparatus, Tevos, and Valern appeared. Much like Ashley earlier, all three of them were glaring daggers at the Chief. "Master Chief. We've just finished reading your report. We're not happy with how this mission turned out." Tevos began the meeting, speaking with an icy venom.

"You _let Saren get away._" Sparatus hissed at the Chief.

"I underestimated him. It won't happen again." Chief said.

"Indeed it won't, because you might not get another chance to capture him!" Sparatus raged. "This was our best opportunity! Spirits only know when we'll get another one like it! And that was not even your _only_ failure. You allowed a Forerunner complex, not ruins but a fully-functional complex, _outside _the Forerunner Cluster no less, to be destroyed! Who knows what secrets we could've learned!"

"The Prometheans activated a self-destruct protocol after the Flood infestation got out of control. It was out of my hands." Chief tried to explain. "Besides, If they hadn't done that, there'd be a risk that the Flood would spread across that planet, and possibly the rest of the galaxy."

"Yes, and stopping the Flood only came at the low, low price of a _vast library of ancient knowledge._" Sparatus seethed.

"Which brings us to our other point of concern." Tevos said. "Halo. We understand that it's somewhere in the Attican Traverse."

"Yes Councilor." Chief said. "Halo's a weapon, one that's-"

"Capable of wiping out every sentient being in the galaxy." Tevos interrupted. "Yes, we are well aware of Halo's true function."

Chief was taken aback by this. "You are?"

"Indeed. Shortly after the Alliance obtained their own embassy on the Citadel, ONI made us privy to Halo's existence and nature. We happen to agree with ONI that it should be kept a secret from the general galactic public." Valern answered.

"Though we remain skeptical. Big rings in space that make things die somehow? It sounds like the plot to a bad science fiction vid game." Sparatus remarked.

"Nevertheless, we must assume the worst." Tevos resolutely stated. "If Saren seeks Halo, then we must take every action necessary to stop him."

The Master Chief straightened. "I'll find Halo before Saren does." he vowed.

"Like hell you will." Sparatus growled. "We're assigning another Spectre to find Halo."

"What?" Chief asked. "Councillors, I've been on Halo several times before. I know my way around it. I'm the only Spectre qualified to carry out an op on that ring."

"You have already been tasked with apprehending Saren and securing the Conduit." Tevos pointed out. "Judging by the current state of your armor, it seems you have enough on your hands." she added, gesturing to the Chief's armor. The Spartan looked down and noted the large crack Saren left in his chest piece, as well as the crack in his helmet's visor.

"We will assign the task to Spectre Jondum Bau. Rest assured, he is a well-seasoned Spectre with years of experience. He will find and secure Halo before Saren does." Valern said.

"And he'll do it without _blowing anything up._" Sparatus added.

"As for you, you will continue your own hunt for Saren and the Conduit. We'll keep you posted on new developments." Tevos said. Her image then reached out and apparently pressed a button as the three images then faded out from existence.

Chief balled up his fists. The knowledge that there was important circuitry behind the room's wall panels was the only thing keeping him from punching them.

"Master Chief, we've got another incoming transmission. This one's from Alliance Command." Joker reported over intercom.

Chief sighed. "They read the report too, huh?"

"Yeah. Doubt they're happy either." Joker replied.

"Patch them through, Joker." Chief said with a sigh of resignation. A viewscreen appeared on the wall opposite from the door, behind the three kiosks. Surprisingly, it was Admiral Hackett's scarred, grizzled face that filled the screen. Chief was slightly relieved. At least it was a somewhat friendly face on the other end of the line.

"Master Chief. This is Admiral Hackett from Alliance Command. I've just finished reading your Eletania mission report." the admiral began. "Sounds like Saren gave you a good beating."

"I underestimated him. It won't happen again." Chief said, telling Hackett what he told the Council not three minutes earlier.

"See that it doesn't." the admiral said. "Joker put me on hold so you could talk to the Council first. How did they take it?"

"Not well." Chief replied. "They're pissed that I failed to apprehend Saren _and _allowed a vast reservoir of Forerunner knowledge to be destroyed. And to top it off, they're sending some other Spectre to find Halo."

"Halo?" Hackett asked. "They're making a mistake." he added as he shook his head. "No one in Special Tactics and Reconnaissance knows Halo better than you."

"I argued as much." Chief responded.

"Pissed that someone else is working on an assignment that should've been given to you?" Hackett asked.

"...Off the record?" Chief asked. Hackett nodded. "Yes sir. I am."

"I've been in the Alliance navy for thirty years. Trust me. I know what _that _feeling's like." Hackett replied. "I'll see if I can't get Udina to press the Council on this. Maybe he can convince them to keep you in the loop. No promises though." He stepped back a bit from the camera and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, did the Council issue you another particular assignment?"

"No sir." Chief replied.

"Good. Cuz I need you to handle a situation on Reach."

"...Reach, sir?" Chief asked.

"There's an Alliance training ground there where we test weapons and technology in live-fire simulations." Hackett explained. "One of the VI's we use to simulate enemy tactics in the drills is no longer responding to our override commands. It's gone rogue."

"Rogue?" Chief asked. "You mean rampant?"

"Not the same thing." Hackett explained. "This is a dumb AI, not a smart one. It's not self-aware and can't access any external systems. We didn't do anything illegal here. Our armies and fleets are still nowhere near as large as they were prior to the Human-Covenant war, even after more than a century to repopulate. Because of this, virtual intelligence support has become more critical to our military success than it ever was before. VI's process thousands of status reports and react in nano-seconds. No Human can do that. Anyway, I need you to fight your way to the VI core and 'manually disable it.'"

Which basically meant 'blow it up.' "Understood, sir." Chief replied with a nod.

"The facility is located in Western Eposz. I'll send the coordinates to your ship. Hackett out." the admiral said before the screen winked out.

...

"Three cracked ribs?" Chief asked, a little surprised by the X-ray scan's results. He was in the med bay with Dr. Chakwas, both of whom stood in front of a small screen next to one of the medical tables which showed an X-ray image of the Master Chief's banged up ribcage. He'd been feeling a pain in his chest since Saren hit him with that last biotic explosion, as well as mild difficulty breathing. So he thought to check into the med bay to assess any damage he might have sustained. It seemed the damage was worse than he thought. Easily the most severe injuries he had sustained since waking up from cryo.

"Biotic explosions tend to _break _ribs. I imagine your augmentations are the only reason you're not in more pain." Chakwas surmised. "If you would lay back down on the table, please."

Chief sighed as he followed the medic's orders. The Spartan was completely out of his armor, and thus, out of his comfort zone, wearing nothing but a pair of pants. Chakwas opened a drawer and took out a few needles, carefully selecting each one before filling them with the appropriate formula. She approached the Chief with needle in hand. "I'll inject some calcium-enriched regenerative agents into your chest cavity. It should accelerate the knitting process. Then I'll inject you with an anti-biotic to stave off infection, just for good measure."

"Understood, Doctor." Chief replied. One by one, Chakwas injected three doses of the calcium cocktail, one for each rib fracture. The fourth and final needle was for the anti-biotics. As soon as he was patched up and had the good doctor's okay, Chief stood up and put his shirt back on, followed by his armor.

"You'll be back in fighting shape in a few days." Chakwas said. "Your wounds weren't too serious. Not for a Spartan, anyway. I suspect your pride was wounded more than anything else."

Chief grumbled something as he secured his glove piece. "Don't blame yourself, Chief. Saren can't run forever." Chakwas assuringly added.

"Thanks for the patchwork." Chief said as he put his helmet back on and then marched out the door to the med bay with purpose. He marched across the mess hall, ignoring Kaidan tinkering on that computer panel by the sleep pods, and straight into his quarters.

The _Normandy's _next destination was Reach. According to Navigator Pressly, it would take about four days to get there. Four days was a long time, but considering the planet in question, Chief was willing to wait. Though he was born on Eridanus II, Chief only lived there until the UNSC conscripted him when he was six, so he remembered very little of that world. He remembered much of Reach however. The training exercises with his fellow Spartans, the classes taught by the dumb AI Deja', Reach was the closest thing that Chief had, that any Spartan had, to a home planet.

He looked up Reach on the galactic codex, to see what had changed since the war. He bypassed the things he already knew. How Reach was one of the oldest Human colony worlds, how it was geologically stable despite being only a billion years old, the things Deja' taught him when he was a child. He also skipped the Fall of Reach. He didn't want to relive that memory. Too many dead friends. He finally arrived at what had happened to Reach in the last century.

Reach had been rebuilt. Specifically, it was de-glassed, which was amazing to the Chief. In his time, reversing the glassing process was widely considered to be a pipe dream, possible only from a theoretical standpoint. But by some miracle, Reach's atmosphere was still intact by the time the Covenant were done glassing it, which meant there was a hope to terraform it back to normal. It was a long process though. First, the UNSC had to employ atmospheric vacuums, sucking all the ash and soot from the air so Reach's sun could shine through and end the global winter. They also had to pump ozone into the atmosphere to repair the atmospheric damage, so the polar ice caps could reform. Finally, they had to bombard the planet with artificial ice comets to bring back the oceans that were boiled away in the Fall of Reach.

Repairing the atmosphere and restoring the polar ice caps and oceans was a long process that took twenty years. But once the atmosphere and oceans were deemed hospitable, the rest of the terraforming went miraculously smoothly. The replanting of life began in the same place where the glassing of Reach first began; the ruins of New Alexandria. Being an initial impact area of the plasma lances, the ground where New Alexandria once stood was covered by extensive areas of molten soil, similar to the soil around volcanic sites on Earth. And much like the volcanic soil on Earth, the soil of New Alexandria proved to be extremely fertile. Just like lava, all that hot plasma broke down the soil, releasing all the nutrients and minerals plants needed to thrive.

Master Chief appreciated the poetic irony to it. The Covenant destroyed Reach when they glassed it, but at the same time, they were preparing it for rebirth. Like a phoenix from the ashes.

However, some areas were harder to de-glass than others. Some areas were covered in lechatelierite, rather than the fertile molten soil. Such areas had to have their top-soil layers replaced entirely before plants could take root. Once Reach had enough forests and grasslands to support it, the UNSC began re-introducing the native fauna. As per the Noah Protocol, breeding pairs of most of Reach's native wildlife were evacuated off the planet along with civilians. Once the planet was hospitable again moas, gutas, and other fauna native to Reach were returned to their former home after decades away.

Finally, after over thirty years of terraforming, Reach was officially declared hospitable again in 2589, and was officially opened to recolonization. A hundred years later, and Reach is once again one of Humanity's most densely populated colony worlds, rivaled only by Eden Prime. Curiously, the UNSC had opted to leave one particular area of Reach glassed. Formerly the Viery Plains, the area was now called the Glass Wastes. Even more curious was the fact that the area was left glassed on the Sangheili Empire's request. Apparently they wanted a portion of Reach to remain glassed for the same reason the Germans didn't tear down Auchwitz-Birkenau after World War II. The Sangheili knew that to try and forget their sins would be an insult to the dead. The whole area was basically a giant cemetery. The area is visited by thousands of Humans and elites every year, the former to remember their fallen, the latter to spiritually atone.

Reach. It was home to every Spartan, the Chief included. After all that has happened in the last couple of weeks, it would be nice to visit home for a little while.

After reading more about Reach, the Chief decided to try and repair the crack in his chest piece, or at least patch it up so that it would last until he submitted it to a proper repair facility once he got to Reach. Once the Spartan took care of the Alliance's VI problem, he could have the _Normandy _dock in one of Reach's cities. It would be a good opportunity for both resupply and shore leave for the crew.

It would also make a good place to drop off his squad. After today, the Chief had little doubt that his squad would want off the ship even if the Chief _hadn't _planned on cutting them loose.

He tried to use omni-gel to fill in the crack in his armor. Omni-gel was a very useful material that was created by breaking down weapons, armor, and other equipment that either wasn't useful, took up too much space in the armory or cargo hold, or both. It was composed of reusable industrial plastics, ceramics, and light alloys kept in a semi-molten state. It was a useful tool for soldiers as it served many purposes from unlocking doors to field repair of equipment. The Chief watched as the blue omni-gel filled the crack and eventually hardened. He rapped his knuckle against it, satisfied that it held. Though the blue omni-gel was somewhat noticeable against the dark grey armor.

Chief took off his helmet and noted the visible crack on it. He grimaced. Omni-gel couldn't fix that. There was no question; he'd have to get the visor replaced entirely. It was a miracle that Eletania's deadly microorganisms didn't leak through the crack and suffocate the Spartan to death. Seemed his luck hadn't abandoned him completely down there.

After repairing his armor and doing some more research on Reach, Chief noticed the clock. 2256 hours. Time for bed. He took off the rest of his armor and climbed into the bed. "Goodnight, Cortana." he said.

"Goodnight, Chief." the AI replied. Chief clapped his hands, and the lights turned off.

...

_There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering._

_"I tried to stay hidden, but there was no escape! He cornered me, wrapped me tight... and brought me close."_

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_"A collection of lies; that's all I am! Stolen thoughts and memories!"_

_Minds being tormented._

_"It was the coin's fault! I wanted to make you strong, keep you safe..."_

_Blood splattering on the ground._

_"I'm just my Mother's Shadow! Don't look at me! Don't listen! I'm not who I used to be!"_

_Screeching of the damned._

_"I have walked the edge of the abyss! I have seen your future, and I have learned!"_

_Eyes that spoke eons of malice._

_"There will be no more sadness, no anger, no more envy!"_

_A star._

_A planet._

_A light in the darkness._

_A monster._

_"This is UNSC AI Serial Number CTN 0452-9. I am the Harbinger of your ascension."_

_A roar._

_..._

The Chief's eyes shot open. He felt his heart hammering in his chest and his forehead felt cold as well. He wiped a hand across his forehead, finding that it was all covered in sweat. "0706, Chief. I was wondering if you'd get up." Cortana's voice said. Chief snapped upright and turned his head toward the AI, her avatar floating in front of the PC's screen. He sighed in relief at the sight of her alright. This prompted Cortana to raise her eyebrow. "You feeling alright, Chief?"

"Another bad dream." Chief replied. "Why didn't you wake me an hour earlier?"

The AI shrugged. "You had a rough day yesterday. I figured you deserved a little extra rest." The AI then crossed her arms. "Doesn't look like it helped though. What was your bad dream about?"

"...It was the vision." Chief said after a moment's hesitation.

"You dreamt about it the night before Eletania too, didn't you?" Cortana asked. Chief reluctantly nodded in reply. "I had a feeling. Sounds like the vision is starting to seep its way into your subconscious."

"Great." Chief replied. He wasn't looking forward to having to dream about galactic genocide every night.

"Maybe you should go see Liara about it." Cortana suggested. "She's a Prothean expert _and _she could do that 'mind meld' thing again. It might help."

Chief thought about it for a minute. He doubted that the Asari would want to talk to him, but it wasn't as though the Chief had anything better to do with his time. If nothing else, it was worth a shot. He climbed out of bed and put on his armor. Once everything was in place, he walked out the door.

As he passed through the mess hall, he noticed two servicemen out of the corner of his eye, way at the back of the sleeper pod hall. They were whispering, but the Chief could still hear them. "Cortana's alive?" one of them asked.

"That's what I heard from Alenko." the other replied.

"Man, why didn't the Chief tell us?"

Chief sighed as he left the mess hall and entered the med bay. His actions had demoralized some of the crew. That was bad. And unlike his combat team, the rest of the _Normandy's _crew wasn't so easily replaced. After giving Dr. Chakwas a nod of greeting, he walked to the other end of the med bay and entered the supply closet. Just like the other day, Liara was sitting in front of her computer. Noticing the Spartan entering, she stood up from her seat and faced him as the door closed behind the Spartan. "I get the feeling you wish to speak with me, Master Chief." the Asari said.

"Yeah. You'd be right." Chief said. "You know that vision I had on Eden Prime?" he asked. The Asari nodded. "Well, I've been dreaming about it for the last couple nights."

"Dreams? Fascinating." Liara replied as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Your subconscious mind must be trying to analyze the vision, trying to decipher it."

"I figured as much." the Spartan said. Or rather Cortana figured as much, but Chief chose not to bring that up. She was likely still a sensitive topic after yesterday. "Don't suppose you can help?"

"...Me?" Liara asked, suddenly a little nervous. "W-what can I do?"

"Do that thing you did with me a couple days ago." Chief said. "Get into my head. Help me make sense of it."

"I...I do not know." Liara muttered. "I doubt I would be much help."

"I've got nothing better to do, and as far as I know, neither do you." Chief bluntly stated. "It's worth a try."

"Very well then. If you insist." Liara said as she took a few steps towards the Chief. This would be Chief's third 'joining,' so he knew the drill by now. He took a deep breath and relaxed as Liara said the words.

"Embrace eternity!"

...

_"You have been called upon to serve."_

_There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering._

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_"You will be the protector of Earth and all her colonies."_

_Minds being tormented._

_Blood splattering on the ground._

_"There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead."_

_Screeching of the damned._

_Eyes that spoke eons of malice._

_"You will become the best we can make you."_

_A star._

_A planet._

_A light in the darkness._

_"This place will become your home."_

...

When the vision ended, Liara took a few steps back, suddenly feeling very woozy. "Goddess..." she muttered. Just like last time, she nearly fell back, but the Spartan caught her by the wrist. Chief hefted Liara up bridal style and gently placed her on the bed on the other side of the room.

"You okay?" Chief asked.

"I'm alright." Liara replied. "Just...tired. The joining...the intensity of your vision..."

"I'll get Chakwas to take a look at you." Chief said as he turned to step outside.

"It's alright Chief, really." Liara insisted. "She's given me this prognosis before. All I need now is rest."

Chief paused, then nodded in acceptance of Liara's assurance. He sat down on a crate by the bed and faced Liara. "Nothing new, huh?" Chief asked, getting the feeling that this was just another waste of time.

"Actually, there is." Liara replied. "The images were largely the same, but I heard a voice speaking. It said 'You have been called upon to serve,' among other things."

"...Dr. Halsey." Chief said.

"Who?" Liara asked.

"Dr. Halsey. Mastermind behind the SPARTAN-II project. Basically the woman who created me." Chief explained. "What you heard was the speech she gave us after we signed up for the project, the night before our training officially began."

"Fascinating." Liara said as she sat up on her elbows. Apparently, she was already starting to get her strength back. "This must be the Cipher's doing. The ancestral memories of the Protheans must be intermingling with your own memories."

"Is that good or bad?" Chief asked.

"It is good." Liara replied. "If your mind is developing a Prothean perspective, then you will be better able to understand your vision."

"...Are you sure that's good?" Chief asked. "Because I don't want to turn into an alien."

"You are still you." Liara replied. "You are not actually _becoming _a Prothean, Chief. You are merely gaining the understanding of what it is like to be one, which in turn gives you the context you need to help you fathom your vision."

"Are you sure about _that_?" Chief further questioned. "Because, besides the part where the Reapers killed the Protheans, I still don't get what it's supposed to mean."

"Apparently, the Cipher only works on a subconscious level. While you sleep. While you dream." Liara said.

_The one time I can't control what I think._ Chief grimly thought to himself.

"It's why you don't really _feel _like a Prothean while you are awake and your conscious mind is in control. Your subconscious mind is the one doing all the work." the Asari went on. "I do not think you should dwell on it, at least not while you are awake. Your vision is incomplete anyway, and until we can complete it, I imagine trying to interpret the vision would only frustrate you."

"Well then, what am I _supposed_ to do?" Chief asked.

Liara shrugged. "Keep going as you are, I suppose." she offered. "Until we can find another Prothean beacon-"

"Then we need to find another Prothean beacon." Chief said. "Think Liara. Do you have _any _idea where we can find one?"

"I...I do not." the Asari hesitantly replied.

"What about that data disc we found on Trebin? There had to be _something _on it." Chief went on.

"There...there was." Liara hesitantly replied again, sounding ashamed. The Spartan was taken aback.

"There was something on it, and you didn't tell me?" Chief asked in an almost accusing tone.

"...Weather reports." Liara said. "It seemed that the Protheans wanted to terraform and then colonize Trebin, much like ExoGeni did. I did not tell you, because it did not seem important."

An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment. Chief then let out a half-grunt, half-sigh as his head and shoulders sagged. "I am sorry." Liara said as she laid back down on the bed, gazing at the ceiling. "Some Prothean expert I'm turning out to be."

Chief took a moment to squelch his frustrations. "It's not your fault." he said. "We just need more leads."

"Indeed." The Asari agreed. "However, I do not know where we can find such leads."

"Yeah, that makes two of us." Chief resignedly said.

"...May I ask something, Chief?" Liara said after another moment of awkward silence. She turned her head away from the ceiling and towards the Spartan. "Dr. Chakwas tells me you spend most of your time in your quarters instead of among the crew. Why do you spend so much time in there?"

"What's it to you?" Chief asked in turn.

"Humans seem like a very social species." Liara said matter-of-factly. "So it seems unusual that a Human would isolate himself the way you do."

The Spartan shrugged. "Guess I'm the exception that proves the rule." he said. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not a huge people-person."

"I understand. Neither am I, to be honest." Liara replied. "I spend most of my own time on remote digs, unearthing mundane items buried in long-forgotten Prothean ruins. I usually do it alone. Sometimes, I just need to get away from other people."

"Same here." Chief said. "But I keep to myself because I'm the last of my kind. What's _your _excuse?"

"I suppose my excuse is being a matriarch's daughter." Liara replied with a shrug. "People expected me to follow in Benezia's footsteps. They wanted me to become a leader of our people. Matriarchs guide their followers into the future. They seek the truth of what is yet to come. Maybe that's why I became so interested in the secrets of the past." She smiled a little at that. "It sounds so foolish when I say it out loud. It sounds like I became an archaeologist simply to spite Benezia."

"You probably did." Chief pointed out. "When kids reach a certain age, they get an urge to piss off their parental figures." It was true. Chief suddenly had a memory of his old drill instructor, Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez. Though he eventually developed a deep respect for Mendez, Chief recalled hating his guts during his younger years. He recalled how Mendez kept scolding him, calling him a spineless worm, and how he fought hard during every training mission to prove the old soldier wrong, fought hard simply to spite him. In retrospect, maybe that was just how Mendez motivated the Chief and the rest of the SPARTAN-II's. Maybe it was for that reason that Mendez truly was the closest thing the Spartan ever had to a real father.

Liara chuckled at the Chief's response. "You share the wisdom of the matriarch, Chief." she said. "That is what Benezia said when I told her of my decision, though she phrased it more eloquently than you just did. But there was more to it than that. I felt drawn to the past. The Protheans were these wondrous, mysterious figures. I wanted to know everything about them."

She sat up on her elbows again. "That is why I find _you _so facinating."

"Me?" the Spartan asked.

"You were marked by the beacon on Eden Prime. You were touched by _working _Prothean technology." she enthusiastically explained with a wide smile.

The Chief sighed again as he laid his head back against a crate behind him. "Great. First Saren wants to dissect me, now you do too." he deadpanned.

"...What? No!" Liara replied in a panic as she fully sat up, using the bed as a seat as the panic apparently chased away the last of her tiredness. "I did not meant to insinuate, uh, I never meant to offend you, Chief! I only meant that you would be an interesting specimen for an in-depth study - Ah! No! That's even worse!"

"Liara." Chief swiftly said, cutting off her panic. "I was _kidding._"

"Kidding?" Liara asked. "Oh! By the Goddess! How could I be so dense?! You must think that I am a complete and utter fool!"

"You sure sounded like one." Chief quipped.

Now it was Liara's turn to sigh. "Now you know why I prefer to spend my time in the field with data discs and computers. I always seem to say something embarassing around other people. Please, just pretend this conversation never happened. Let's talk about something else."

Chief drummed his fingers against the crate he was sitting on, trying to think of something else to say. Perhaps out of frustration with the events of the last twenty-four hours, he decided to get it over with and talk about the elephant in the room that Liara was no doubt thinking about at that very moment. "Alright. Let's talk about Cortana."

"Cortana?" Liara asked.

"Yeah. You know. The _artificial intelligence_ that I've been harboring all this time." Chief sarcastically said. "Where do you stand on her?"

"Well, she is an AI, as you said. I'll be honest, her presence on the ship does make me a little nervous." The Asari confessed. "But...well...do you trust her?"

"With my life." Chief automatically replied.

Liara nodded. "Than I do as well. You have never given me reason to doubt you Chief. If you trust Cortana, then so do I." she resolutely said.

Chief was actually surprised that Liara would say that. "Thanks." he replied. "Wish the rest of the team was as open-minded as you."

"Actually, I believe they are." Liara replied.

"What do you mean?" Chief asked.

"Well, it goes without saying that Staff Lieutenant Alenko and Gunnery Chief Williams are alright with Cortana, as well as the rest of the _Normandy's _crew. Humans have had a long history with AI's, so it makes sense they'd be comfortable with her on board. N'tho seems fine with her as well. And of course, Garrus is fine with her since he had prior knowledge of her, as Cortana herself mentioned back on Eletania."

The Asari scientist paused in thought for a second. "I don't think Wrex really cares one way or the other." she added. "Really, the only one on the ship with any genuine problem with Cortana is Tali, and given her people's experiences with AI's, that is to be expected."

"Then why's everyone mad at me?" Chief asked.

"I think it has less to do with Cortana herself and more to do with the fact that you kept her a secret from the rest of the crew. They seem to think that you don't trust them enough to keep Cortana a secret from the Council." Liara theorized.

Suddenly Garrus's words echoed in the Chief's mind. _This crew trusts you, Chief. Eventually, you'll have to return the favor. _The Spartan grunted in annoyance at that. "If they don't like it, they're free to leave the team once we're on Reach." He bitterly stated.

"...You say that, but I do not think you mean it." Liara said.

"Oh yeah?" Chief asked. "Why wouldn't I mean it?"

"Because you are lonely." Liara stated.

Silence fell yet again.

"You miss them, don't you?" Liara asked.

"Who?" Chief asked back.

"The other Spartans." Liara clarified. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

"...It's a long story." Chief said.

Liara smiled warmly at him. "I am an Asari. I like long stories."

"...Alright." Chief said after a second's hesitation. "To start with, there were originally seventy-five of us..."

And so, the Master Chief told Liara his story. Or at least, as much as ONI would have allowed. He was particularly careful to omit the part where the UNSC kidnapped him at age six, instead using the version of the story that ONI Section II gave to the general public; after being identified from a list of boot camp recruits as a good candidate for the project due to certain genetic markers, the Chief was offered the chance to become something more than just another soldier, and voluntarily accepted it. He also decided to leave out the part that only thirty-three of the original seventy-five candidates surived the augmentations procedures with no complications or deformaties.

Once the augmentation procedures were complete, Chief and the other Spartans began their combat training under the instruction of one Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez. His methods of training were brutal and humiliating. Mendez's training drills were punctuated with in-class strategy sessions and military history lessons with a dumb AI named Deja'. Simply being physically superior to normal soldiers wasn't enough to be a Spartan. They were also required to have absolute military understanding on par with military historians and arm-chair generals. As a Spartan, the Chief was trained to be the ultimate warrior, both in body and mind.

The training was hellish, but it was made easier when the Chief ended up making friends with two other Spartans, Kelly and Sam. Kelly was the fastest Spartan. She was not only quick-footed, but quick-witted, as she had a bit of a smart mouth on her, something that she obviously only used when Mendez wasn't around to hear her. Sam had a good sense of humor as well. Sociable too, for a Spartan anyway. He was also huge, even by Spartan standards, easily standing a full head taller than Chief, even after the augmentations. The two eventually became Chief's best friends, but they would not be his only friends.

Chief explained to the Asari that, despite their fame for fighting the Covenant, the original intent of the SPARTAN-II program was to create a solution to what was known in some circles of ONI as 'the innie problem.' During the late 25th and early 26th centuries, the outer colonies of UNSC space were very upset with Earth and the inner colonies due to what they viewed as heavy-handed and unfair government. This gave rise to the URF, United Rebel Front, whose long-term goal was secession from the UEG entirely. The real problem didn't kick in until they turned to terrorist tactics to meet their goals. The biggest fear at the time was that the URF would spark open civil war between the inner and outer colonies, a conflict that experts projected would be long and bloody. The SPARTAN-II program was initiated as a way to keep that war from happening by carrying out black operations to stop insurrections before they happen. This method would nip rebellions and terrorist attacks in the bud without risking either military or civilian casualties, and for a while, it was working.

Then the Covenant came.

The Covenant wasn't that big of a concern at first. Even while the Covenant was knocking on the UNSC's door, the rebels were still the more immediate problem, and so Spartans still carried out anti-innie operations well after war was declared on the Covenant. But as the months and years went by and mankind lost more and more ground to the Covenant, the emphasis of the SPARTAN-II program changed from anti-innie to anti-Covenant operations. It was on one such operation that Sam, the Chief's best friend, died. Worse, he died because he took a shot that was meant for the Chief. After a firefight with enemy forces on board a Covenant frigate, a wounded but still alive jackal shot a charged plasma bolt at the Chief. Sam pushed him out of the way and took the shot instead. It didn't kill him, but it did burn a hole in his unshielded armor. After planting missiles in the ship's fusion generator, the Chief's team's only means of escape was extra-vehicular activity; space, in lamen's terms. This was impossible for Sam due to the hole in his armor. Rather than die in the vacuum of space, Sam voluntarily stayed behind to cover the rest of the team's escape.

So it was that Samuel-034 became the first Spartan to die in combat. However, he was never listed as KIA, only MIA. This would become the standard operating procedure of any Spartan's death. When Liara asked why that was, Chief told her that the Spartans were revealed to the general public as a means to boost morale during the Human-Covenant War. They gave Humanity hope. Hope that could diminish with each news story about a dead Spartan. So ONI Section II set the mandate that no Spartan could ever be listed as KIA, validating the motto 'Spartans never die.'

Chief went on about the other friends he made in the SPARTAN-II program. Kurt, who was unusually sociable and chatty for a Spartan. Linda, who was even more silent than he was in most situations, and who was the best marksman in the whole program. Fred who became a good friend and a good second-in-command of the squad after Sam died. Will had plenty of jokes and riddles to keep the team's spirits up, but sadly, he became more hardened as the years went by. And as the Chief recounted all his friends and their missions together, Liara simply sat there and listened. She never judged and she never questioned, except once or twice when she didn't quite understand something. Chief had never gone into this much detail about his past with anyone, let alone an alien. Indeed, he never thought that he ever _would _go into this much detail about his past with anyone, _especially _an alien. But with all that has happened since waking from cryo, especially after what happened on Eletania, maybe the Chief just needed to get it all off his chest, and the Asari provided an ear to listen to him.

Liara would even bring the Chief the occasional cup of water for his poor aching throat.

"Okay, here's another one." Chief said after taking another sip of the water from his armor's liquidation system. "Which Covenant race would make the best Captain Hook?" he asked another of Will's old jokes.

"Which?" Liara asked.

"The jackals." the Chief said. Liara simply sat there, apparently confused more than anything else. "Okay, you know how jack- er, Kig-Yar, normally fight with plasma shields? And they have this notch where they stick their guns through?"

"Yes?..." Liara answered, hoping for this joke to make sense.

"Well, Linda would always shoot right through those notches, which turned a lot of Kig-Yar into lefties. Blow their hands right off." Chief explained. Liara still looked confused. "...And Captain Hook is this villain from Peter Pan, an old Human story, and he has a hook for a hand because he lost his hand. Like the Kig-Yar. After Linda shoots their hands off, I mean."

"Oh. Oh!" Liara realized. "Yes! I get it now!" Liara went on as she did her best to fake a laugh.

"Yeah, I'd guess you'd have to know who Peter Pan was to appreciate that joke." Chief stated.

"I suppose." Liara replied with a nod. "I think I understand your isolation better now."

"That a fact?" Chief asked.

"Yes. The way you talk about your fellow Spartans, you thought of them as your family. As brothers and sisters. By comparison, everyone on this ship must be a complete stranger to you." Liara explained.

"Something like that, I guess." Chief said. "But, we didn't really start out that way. My two best friends, Kelly and Sam? First time we met was during a training exercise. We had to work together, but I didn't get that memo. I went lone wolf on them in the middle of the exercise and we ended up losing because of it."

Chief paused as he was suddenly hit with an unpleasant realization. He did pretty much the same thing on Eletania the day before. He went lone wolf. Was that why he failed the assignment? Because he tried to take on Saren on his own? That was probably it, now that Chief really thought about it. If Chief had backup, not only would Saren's initial capture have been easier, but the Spartan would have someone to return fire on that Asari commando after she trapped him in a stasis field, thereby completely averting his own capture. Additionally, under Cortana's guidance, the squad was able to pull off an effective, if unorthodox, rescue mission and saved the Chief from being turned into a science experiment. Not only did they save him, but they were able to cooperate with Cortana. Even after learning that he had kept her a secret from them the whole time. It suddenly made him question if keeping the AI a secret from them in the first place was the wrong choice.

"Were they mad?" Liara asked.

"Yeah." Chief replied. "They got pissed. Mendez did too. Said I was part of a team and needed to start acting like it. So in the next exercise, I took his orders to heart. Came up with a plan that had us all working together, and we ended up winning that time. Kelly and Sam started liking me a bit more after that."

Chief set his jaw in a scowl as he reflected on that memory. That was the day, decades ago, that he learned what it meant to be a leader, to be part of a team. Had it really been that long ago? Had the Chief really been in cryo for so long that he forgot how to be a good leader?

"You know." Chief said. "I've never told anyone _this much_ about myself."

"Why not?" Liara asked. "It sounds like you have a lot of...'baggage,' as you Humans sometimes call it."

The Master Chief shook his head. "Chief Mendez once told me that a Spartan can't have his own baggage. His own weight. There's just no room. He already carries the weight of all of Humanity on his back." he stated.

Liara was silent for a second. She then reached over and lightly placed her hand on the Chief's. "You do not need to carry that weight all by yourself." she said.

Despite himself, Chief smiled a little under his helmet. "Looks like I've got a lot to think about." he said as he stood up. "Thanks for listening."

"It was no trouble." Liara said as she looked up to the Spartan. "And if you ever need to talk again, know that I am here."

"I'll keep that in mind." Chief said with a nod before he left the room. As he did so, he brought up the clock on his HUD. He was surprised to discover that he had spent the last several hours talking to Liara. It was strange, because it only felt like a single hour at most. Apparently he got so wrapped up in talking about his fellow Spartans that he lost track of time. But while it was surprising, Chief didn't really see the harm in it. It wasn't like he had anything else important to do that day. Or the next few days, for that matter. Really, he wouldn't have anything terribly important to do at all until the _Normandy _arrived on Reach.

...Maybe he _will _talk to Liara again tomorrow. Seemed like an effective way of passing time, if nothing else.

...

**Codex Entry (Planets and Locations): REACH**

_Originally colonized in the early 2400's, Reach is one of the oldest, most well-developed Human colony worlds. It, similar to Eden Prime, Terra Nova and Elysium, is a symbol of Humanity's resilience and prosperity displayed to the rest of the galaxy. Reach's resilience is especially true when one considers its history._

_In 2552, Reach was discovered by the Covenant. After over a month of extended fighting, the Covenant eliminated the majority of the colony's defenses and glassed the planet in what would be later known as the Fall of Reach. After the Human-Covenant War ended however, the UNSC announced its intentions to reterraform and resettle the world, citing both its practical and its symbolic importance. After years of extensive terraforming, the planet was officially declared by the UNSC to be hospitable again in 2589, and resettlement began shortly thereafter._

_Today, Reach is known throughout the galaxy as a popular vacation destination. Because it was the site of the Spartan super-soldiers' intense combat training, later earning Reach the title 'Homeworld of the Spartans,' the planet's capital city of New Alexandria is home to the largest Human-Covenant War museum in the galaxy, as well as the Living Monument. In addition to its historical value, Reach is also popular among outdoor survival enthusiasts for its harsh and rugged wilderness, including towering mountains, weather-beaten forests, blistering deserts, and freezing tundras. Finally, due to being located near a small nebula, a light phenomenon similar to Earth's Aurora Borealis is visible in the sky from any point on the planet at any time of the year, resulting in one of the most beautiful night skies in Citadel Space._

_Though tourism makes up a large part of the colony's annual revenue, some local residents resent all the alien tourists that visit Reach during the planet's warmer months. Current Terra Firma party leader Charles Saracino has, on record, criticized the Alliance for 'allowing our fortress among the stars to be turned into a tourist trap.' Additionally, Reach's tourist trade commission is routinely criticized for allegedly exploiting the memory of all the UNSC soldiers, Spartan or otherwise, who died defending Reach._

...

**Some people are probably gonna try to call bullshit on Saren giving the Chief three cracked ribs, saying that a Spartan's bones CAN'T be broken. However, as I found out from reading First Strike, Spartans aren't immortal. They can, and do, suffer from cracked bones in addition to torn tendons and collapsed lungs. Even a SPARTAN-II can only take so much. Besides, Saren's the Big Bad of this tale, remember? If anyone should be able to put a decent hurtin' on the Chief, it oughta be Saren.**

**Anyway, I just picked up the Leviathan DLC today. Yeah I know. "Welcome to two and a half months ago, Jake!" But I've been kinda broke for the last couple of months and I didn't have enough disposable income to get the microsoft points until now. However, I don't think I'll actually PLAY it until this weekend. Why? Because I read on TV-tropes that Leviathan is the closest thing to a horror story that Bioware has ever done, which tells me that it's best enjoyed late at night with all the lights turned off. And I shouldn't be staying up that late on a school night, so I'll do it on the weekend. Happy Halloween!**

**Also, I went ahead and posted the first few chapters of that other fic I was talking about a couple of chapters back. If you didn't notice, it might have been because the fic is rated M for Mature, and that's because its main character swears like a sailor on shore leave. It's a Digimon fic. Yeah, I see at least half of you rolling your eyes, but Digimon played a considerable role in my childhood and I would like to pay tribute to it with swearing and dirty humor.**

**...Also, does anyone know what the Living Monument actually IS? I tried to look it up on Halo wiki, but there doesn't seem to be an article about it.**


	33. Now for Something Completely Different

**Decided to retcon the Arbiter's age. Around the time Chapters 19 or 20 dropped (I forget which), someone sent me this PM pointing out that at the time of the original Halo trilogy, Thel 'Vadam was 67 years old rather than 114. The reason I went with 245 is because A: I kinda wanted Arbiter to be a badass grampa, and B: 245 is a multiple of GUESS WHAT NUMBER KIDS?!**

**However, the more I think about it, the more I think that 245 might arguably be a little TOO old. Yes, it makes sense for a warrior race like the Sangheili to remain physically fit well into their elderly years, but I should still maintain a sense of realism here. In Humans, 70-80-year-olds with physical fitness on par with 30-year-olds are, to say the least, few and far between. So yeah. The Arbiter is now 198 years old. It's more in line with Halo canon AND is a more realistic age for an aging but still fighting strong soldier. Thel is like the Sangheili Bruce Willis now. Yeah, he's getting old, but he's not THAT old.**

**So why am I bringing all this up? Well, this chapter seemed like an appropriate time to initiate the retcon. Enjoy.**

...

As he felt himself struggling awake, casting aside the shackles of darkness in his mind, the first thing he noted was that there was something wrapped around his torso. Rope. No, it was too slick to be rope, as well as far too foul-smelling. It took him another moment to realize they were tentacles.

The Arbiter could only think of _one _creature on this ring with tentacles like these.

The realization fully woke the Sangheili, who then renewed his struggle. Grunting and hissing out curses, he punched and kicked against invisible foes as the tentacles dragged him down further into the pit. Though he was now fully awake and aware, darkness still shrouded his vision. Wherever he was, it was dark. But as the tentacles dragged him further down, the dark cavern slowly became more illuminated by a sickly green light. More tentacles appeared to wrap themselves around his wrists, restraining him further as he came to a rest above some rocks on the cave floor. He flexed his arms as hard as he could, trying to break his bonds. But the accursed parasite was stubborn and would not let go.

"Relax." said a raspy voiced that sounded like it wasn't used often. "I'd rather not piss this thing off."

The Arbiter snapped his head towards the voice's owner. He too was wrapped in the parasite's tentacles. And his armor, green as the Flood itself with a visor that held no soul behind it, was unmistakable.

"_Demon!_" Thel snarled at the vile creature. As soon as he slew the parasite, _it _was next. _It _was the reason that the Covenant were denied passage into the Divine Beyond. _It _was the reason Thel was disgraced.

Thel would have gone on to ponder all the ways he'd kill the Demon, but the parasite began making odd noises. Thel looked and beheld a monster. Its head loosely resembled a plant of some sort, tentacles of various sizes writing around its head. As it continued making odd noises, its tentacles wrapped further around the Demon, bringing the Demon closer to the parasite's head. Thel struggled harder at that. The Demon's head was _his. _The parasite would _not _deny him revenge.

"_This one is machine and nerve, and has its mind concluded_." it rumbled. It then wrapped more tentacles around Thel and held him closer as well. "_This one is but flesh and faith, and is the more deluded._"

Deluded? Now it was insulting Thel's faith? The Arbiter would not have it. "Kill me or release me, parasite!" Thel barked at the abomination. "But do not waste my time with talk!" No doubt the beast intended on swallowing him with that giant mouth. If that was the case, Thel would withdraw his sword and slice at the monster's throat from the inside out. If he was to die, he would do so fighting, as any proper Sangheili should.

"_There is much talk_!" The parasite indignantly replied. "_And I have listened! Through rock and metal and time!_" The monster leaned its head back, raising two tentacles._ "Now _I _shall talk, and _you_ shall listen_."

The Arbiter saw what the abomination held in its two tentacles and was horrified. In one tentacle was an Oracle. That fact that it touched, nay, _grappled _a Holy Oracle in such a way was heresy enough. But on another tentacle..._was _another tentacle, was a San'Shyuum; one of the Holy Prophets.

"Greetings!" The Oracle said, seemingly unphased by the parasite holding it. Thel found such stoicism in the face of filth admirable. "I am 2401 Penitent Tangent. I am the Monitor of Installation 05."

"And I..." the Prophet struggled to say. "Am the Prophet of Regret! Councilor most High...Hierarch of the Covenant!"

Regret? 'Vadam was even more horrified. He prayed for Regret's soul after receiving news of his death, but at least the Demon was quick in his execution of the Holy Prophet; merciful compared to what this parasite had done. The Prophet's body was _merged _with the tentacle. The fact that he was still alive, still himself, was nothing short of a grace of the Gods.

"A Reclaimer? Here?" The Oracle asked as it looked at the Demon. "At last! We have much to do. This facility must be activated if we are to control this outbreak!"

"Stay where you are!" Regret commanded. "Nothing can be done until my sermon is complete!" Thel was confused by this. Regret too seemed ignorant of his current plight. Perhaps better that way.

"Not true." the Oracle argued. "This installation has a successful utilization record of 1.2 trillion simulated and one actual. It is ready to fire on demand."

"Of all the objects our Lords left behind..." Regret began to seethe before turning to the Arbiter. "There are _none _so worthless as these Oracles! They know NOTHING of the Great Journey!"

Thel widened his eyes at that. A Hierarch? Speaking such blasphemy? The Flood was poisoning his mind. It had to have been. Thel hoped he could kill the Hierarch before the Flood killed Thel. Regret's suffering must be ended quickly, not only for the Prophet's own mercy, but so that he does not say anything else that could compromise his place in paradise.

"And YOU know nothing about containment!" The Oracle fumed. "You have demonstrated a complete disregard to even the most basic protocols!"

"_This one's 'containment.'_" The parasite said as it held the Oracle. "_And this one's 'Great Journey.'_" It said as it held aloft the Prophet. "_Are the same._"

The parasite lowered its tentacles back into the depths of the cavern. As the Arbiter heard Regret's panicked shrieks of fear, he silently prayed for his soul. He also silently vowed to avenge the Hierarch's infection. He will die a noble death in battle, as every Arbiter did before him, and redeem the Sangheili race in the eyes of the San'Shyuum, winning back their place in the Great Journey.

_Fool. They ordered me to do it._

Tartarus was lying. He had to have been.

He had to.

The monster turned its gigantic head towards the Sangheili. Thel's muscles tensed, ready for death. "_Your Prophets have promised you freedom from a doomed existence, but you will find no salvation on this ring. Those who built this place knew what they wrought. Do not mistake their intent, or all will perish as they did before._" it lied.

"This thing is right." the Demon added, as though _its _opinion mattered. "Halo is a weapon. Your Prophets are making a big mistake."

Thel snarled at the Demon. "Your ignorance already destroyed one of the sacred rings, _Demon. _You shall not harm another!" the Arbiter vowed.

"_If you will not hear the truth, then I will show it to you._" the monster said. It looked up towards the cave's ceiling. "_There is still time to stop the key from turning..._" It turned its gaze back downwards. "_But first it must be found._"

"_You will search one likely spot..._" It said to the Demon.

"_And you will search another._" It said to the Arbiter.

The abomination smiled. "_Fate had us meet as foes. But this ring will make us brothers._"

The monster then shoved the Demon and the Arbiter into different teleportation rings. With a golden flash, the Arbiter's surroundings changed.

...

1148 Hours, March 8th, 2683

_Seeker of the Truth_

Undisclosed Location in the Omega Nebula

...

The Arbiter's eyes opened. He had walked out of that old memory and found himself back in the present. He was in his own private quarters, sitting cross-legged on a traditional meditation pillow and surrounded by incensed candles. Meditation was a common practice among zealots and other swordsman. Mental strength was every bit as necessary as physical strength in order to be a great warrior. It seemed that, in the course of his meditations, Thel had momentarily gotten lost in a lucid memory. This was not an uncommon occurrence, and is actually encouraged in some circles. Sometimes, all you need do to remind yourself of what you fight for is to simply look back on the past.

Thinking back to that memory, the Arbiter remembered the Gravemind's words. _Fate had us meet as foes. But this ring will make us brothers. _How right the parasite was, as much as the Arbiter loathed to admit it. He took satisfaction in the fact that the Gravemind's words 'came back to bite him' as the Humans say, as the Master Chief and the Arbiter personally activated Halo side by side, ending the threat of the Flood once and for all.

The ring had, indeed, made them brothers. Not simply between the Arbiter and the Chief, but between all Humans and all Sangheili. The first few years after the end of the War were uncertain to be sure. Of note was the political instability the Sangheili had to endure before renewing themselves. But after a few decades, the two species were able to co-exist, and even mutually call one another brothers over time.

And now here he was, Thel 'Vadam, once again waging a war on Humans. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Thel stood up from his sitting position and walked over to a closet. He opened the doors and beheld the armor of the Holy Arbiter. He began the meticulous process of donning the armor. Though it is capable of weathering many battles, Thel still treats it as gently as a hatchling. Armor as important as this should not be handled roughly and without care.

As he donned the armor, the Arbiter thought back to the atrocity he had found on Chasca, a tidally-locked world in the Matano system of the Maroon Sea. According to the Codex, Humans had only just recently begun colonizing the planet's twilight area, a band of hospitable land that lied between the scorching day side and frozen night side. Human tenacity never ceased to amaze Thel; Humans were not only willing, but determined to find something of value on that bizarre and hellish planet.

In the course of liberating Feros from the Geth's literally iron fist, the Master Chief and his AI companion found something within an ExoGeni computer server. Talk of how Cerberus bought some mysterious 'samples' of something and ordered that they be delivered to Chasca. He arrived on the planet two days previous to investigate. What he found horrified him.

Husks. Thel had read about them in the official Alliance reports in the wake of the Eden Prime invasion. They were once Human, but were completely and utterly drained of virtually all bodily fluids and implanted with cybernetics that rendered the victims more machine than man. Thel was sickened by the thought of Geth turning Humans into such creatures, but it wasn't until he encountered hordes of husks on Chasca did he realize how truly disgusting it all was. The pale blue skin, the unholy eyes, the moans of suffering and hatred. Not since the Flood had the Arbiter encountered such abominations in the eyes of the Gods.

But this time, it was not the Geth's doing. It was Cerberus. Somehow, Cerberus had obtained the 'dragon's teeth,' the devices the Geth used to turn Humans into husks. The Cerberus beasts then shipped the dragon's teeth to a small colony on Chasca to turn the colonists into those filthy wretches. According to the colonial manifest he found in one of the warehouses, the outpost only had fifty people total, and indeed, that was the amount of husks that tasted the bite of an Arbiter's blade. The Sangheili prayed for their souls, but their deaths were ultimately not in vain. He had found another clue on that planet.

In the science station, the Arbiter found a small vid-cam that was still sending a transmission. He enlisted the aid of an Unggoy tech expert to trace the transmission. According to the little Unggoy, the signal bounced off several comm buoys before finally ending in a place so unholy and vile, it actually made sense that Cerberus would conduct their business there.

As the Arbiter put on his helmet, completing the armor set, the door to the room opened, revealing a Sangheili dressed in shipmaster armor. He saluted the Arbiter. "Arbiter. We have come out of FTL into the asteroid belt of the Sahrabarik system."

"...Very well." Thel replied. "Tell Cadavu and Bysoti to meet me in the hangar and have the hangar crew make ready a phantom. I intend to disembark as soon as possible."

...

Omega. The beating heart of the Terminus Systems and the filthiest place imaginable. A den of vice and sin where the wicked went to indulge whatever pleasures they had, no matter how twisted. In the twenty-six years since he first heard of this wretched place, Thel hoped he would never have to venture there. Unfortunately, this was where the vid-cam he had found on Chasca sent its transmission to. This was where the trail led, and as the Arbiter, it was his duty to chase the Sangheili's enemies through whatever mud they ran through, no matter how foul. And while Omega's mud may have been the foulest in all the galaxy, the Arbiter will still drudge through it if he had to.

He took solace in the fact that he would not have to trudge through it alone. Standing on either side of him in the phantom's passenger compartment were Cadavu Dama Ranu and Bysoti Dama Kuma, a pair of young Mgalekgolo that the Arbiter met a couple of years prior during a Jiralhanae pirate attack on the Fleet of Inquisitive Journeys. They failed to protect the shipmaster of _Chavam's Return_, but atoned for their failure by fighting alongside the Arbiter in not only repelling the filthy brute attack, but boarding the Jiralhanae ship and leaving a bomb as vengeance. The Dama-pair had been loyal companions to the Arbiter ever since. Thel was thankful for the companionship. His was a lonely station sometimes.

Bysoti shifted in place uncomfortably. "Omega..." the hulking gestalt of eels rumbled. The words were felt more than heard. "Why am I not surprised that Cerberus would hide in such a wretched lair of heresy and sin?"

"A _large _wretched lair of heresy and sin, mind you." Cadavu pointed out. He turned to Thel. "I don't suppose we know _exactly_ where they're hiding?"

"Regrettably, no." the Arbiter said with a shake of his head. "They cut the transmission before we could trace them down to a specific location on Omega."

"_Lovely._" Bysoti commented, his rumbling dripping with sarcasm. "Now we have to search every grime-encrusted hole on this damned rock."

"Patience, brother." Cadavu tried to calm his bond brother. Cadavu had always been the more level-headed of the pair. "In dens such as these, any sort of information is available at a price. Perhaps we could find someone who would tell us where Cerberus hides."

"That shouldn't be too difficult." Bysoti snuffled in disgust. "All we need do is throw enough red sand at a street urchin and they would tell us Cerberus' most favored drink."

"Arbiter. We are about to dock." the pilot reported over the phantom's intercom.

"Good. Stay with the phantom and stay alert. Kill any who may try to steal it." Thel ordered. He knew what happened to ships when they are docked at Omega unattended. As he heard the magnetic clamps adhering themselves to the drop ship, the Arbiter walked over to a weapons locker at the back of the ship and armed himself. A carbine on his back, a classic plasma rifle on one thigh, and his trusted energy sword on the other thigh. The Arbiter preferred the old ways, or as the Squidheads would say, he was 'old school.' Cadavu and Bysoti were checking their fuel rod arm cannons, making sure that they were in working order. As he walked back over to them, the Mgalekgolo pair nodded at the Arbiter. They were ready for whatever evil they may find.

They exited the phantom and walked down the loading bay. As they emerged into another corridor, a Salarian standing nearby jogged up to them. "Hey! Welcome to Omega!" he eagerly greeted. "You're new here, aren't you? I can always tell!"

The Salarian's face was stout and had a few scars around the mouth, indicating he had gotten into a fight more than once. His voice was raspy, as though it had been a long time since he last drank any water. Lastly, his clothes were filthy and in desperate need of washing. In lamen's terms, he looked like a typical Omega citizen. Thel noticed a Batarian approaching, marching up to the entourage with the sway that came with authority.

"Allow me to-" the Salarian stopped speaking as soon as he looked over his shoulder and saw the Batarian approaching. "Oh...Hello Moklan! I was just-"

"Leave Fargut." the Batarian growled. "_Now._"

"Of course Moklan! Whatever she wants!" the Salarian sycophantly replied. The Batarian raised his hand, which apparently was enough to send the Salarian running, implying that the Batarian had to strike Fargut down at least once before. This Moklan may have very well just saved Fargut's life. During the whole of the brief time urchin was speaking, the Arbiter could feel the vibrations of the Mgalekgolo growling. They had little patience for street beggars.

"Blasted scavengers." Moklan grumbled as he watched the Salarian run off. He turned to the Arbiter. "Welcome to Omega..._'Vadam._"

The Arbiter raised an eyebrow. "My arrival here was expected?" he asked.

"Of _course_." Moklan replied, sarcasm positively dripping from that second word. "We had you tagged the moment you entered the Omega Nebula. You're not as subtle as you think. Aria wants to know what brings the Arbiter to Omega. I suggest you go to Afterlife now and present yourself."

Bysoti snuffled in disgust. "Watch your tongue, Batarian." he said. "The Holy Arbiter cannot be summoned as though he were a mere servant."

"Today's the exception. _No one _keeps Aria waiting." Moklan replied.

The Arbiter noticed Bysoti taking a step forward and splayed an arm in front of the Mgalekgolo to keep him from doing anything rash. He craned his head back towards the Batarian. "Tell Aria that the Arbiter does not seek a battle with her. She will have no trouble from me." Thel told Moklan in an steady tone.

"...Yeah, things _explode _around you, 'Vadam." the Batarian pointed out. "You can't blame Aria for keeping an eye on you. Afterlife. Now." With that, Moklan turned on his heels and walked away. Once he was out of earshot, the Arbiter's companions spoke their peace.

"You're not _truly _going to answer this 'Aria's' summon, are you?" Bysoti asked.

"I shall. But for my own reasons." Thel replied. "Aria is apparently a crime lord of some sort if she has messengers at her beck and call. She may know something about where Cerberus hides."

"Then I suppose we should proceed to Afterlife." Cadavu suggested with a solemn nod. Bysoti simply snuffled again.

"Come." the Arbiter instructed before walking down the corridor.

...

Afterlife was not far from where their phantom made berth. It was a massive building with no windows of note on its brown, dingy walls. The entrance was a single door with a green lock panel with 'Afterlife' hanging over the door in red neon lighting. There was an Elcor standing before a line of guests and two Batarians immediately by the door; bouncers by the looks of them. Thel and the Dama-pair could hear the faint thumping of a slow and heavy bass. Apparently, Afterlife was a night club.

The three of them walked by the Elcor bouncer, who was having an argument with a Human guest who kept insisting that Aria wanted to see him, a claim that the Arbiter personally doubted. The three of them passed by the two Batarian bouncers. One of them put down his datapad and opened the door for the trio. "Go on." he said with an evil grin. "Aria's expecting you."

Thel was getting the distinct feeling that this 'Aria' was a person of considerable power on Omega. Perhaps she was even its ruler. The three of them walked down a long corridor. On either side were circular tables where patrons of every species were enjoying drinks. And on the walls were holographic images of flames roaring, casting the corridor and all who were in it in a reddish-orange glow. The Sangheili stayed alert, eyeing each of the patrons as he walked through, knowing that each of them was potentially a thief or a killer, ready to pull out a weapon and make an attempt on his life at a moment's notice. His eyes settled on a trio of Batarians. Upon noticing they had the Arbiter's eyes upon them, they stood up from their seats and withdrew their weapons.

"What are _you _looking at?" one of them sneered.

Bysoti warmed up his fuel rod gun and pointed it at the Batarians. "Dead men." he growled.

The lead Batarian staggered back, his arrogance quickly replaced with fright upon realizing that he had made the gruesome mistake of invoking a Mgalekgolo's ire. "Uh...I'm not looking for trouble." he stuttered out.

The Arbiter smiled. It was amusing how quickly the Batarian grew more humble with a fuel rod cannon pointed at his head. "Then perhaps you should go elsewhere." the Sangheili suggested.

"Alright, alright, I, I've got stuff to do anyway." the four-eyed alien quickly stuttered out. "Come on, let's get out of here." he said, his two friends following him. Well, one of them followed him. His second friend stood a moment and stared at the Arbiter, making a threatening slitting motion across his neck with his thumb.

Bysoti roared at the last Batarian, making him yelp and scurry off after his two friends. "You enjoyed that." Cadavu accused.

"I did." Bysoti confessed.

After that little incident, the trio progressed through the doors at the end of the hall and into the main chamber of Afterlife. The chamber was circular in shape, with a massive pillar standing in the middle of it, the pillar itself plastered with holographic images of dancing Asari. Wrapped around the pillar was a circular stage featuring the dancers themselves. The Asari wore clothing that displayed much of their blue skin as they danced and moved like water, inviting all within the club to witness and drink in their shameless beauty. On the outer edges of the arena were tables, booths, a dance floor and a bar. The Arbiter craned his neck up towards a platform several feet above the arena floor. He saw a lone Asari standing there. She was no dancer however. She stood with the casual superiority that came with authority. Thel thought that Aria sounded like an Asari name. He motioned the Dama-pair to follow him to the stairs leading up to the platform.

The trio made their way up the stairs, passing a few armed guards. The Dama Mgalekgolo stopped on a sub-platform while Thel continued on to the final platform, the one where Aria stood.

"That's close enough." Aria evenly said. Thel suddenly heard the unsheathing of weapons and a bestial growl. He turned his head right and saw a Jiralhanae aiming a spiker rifle at the Sangheili's head, its lip curled in a growl, revealing sharp fangs. He turned to his left and saw a Batarian aiming an SMG at the Arbiter's head as well. He looked over his shoulder and saw more guards appear, unsheath their weapons and aim them at the Dama-pair. The Mgalekgolo let out a low warning growl as they warmed up their fuel rod cannons.

Just as it seemed as though it would become a slaughter, Aria tilted her head to the left. And just like that, every last guard, even the vicious Jiralhanae whom Thel was certain wanted to drink the Arbiter's blood, lowered their weapons. The Dama-pair lowered their weapons in turn, but their warning growls continued. Evidently, all Aria wanted to do was make Thel stop where he stood. The Batarian walked up to him as he activated his omni-tool. "Stand still." he instructed as he tapped a few keys. A holographic image of a blue naked Sangheili appeared on his omni-tool, red spots flickering across the image.

"I hide no weapons." Thel said. "The only weapons I have are the ones you see."

"Can't be too careful with the Arbiter." Aria replied.

"They're clean." the Batarian said before stepping aside. Aria turned around and faced the Arbiter. She wore a white, long-sleeved vest with a high collar and tight black pants. Tattoos adorned her purple face; a thick line extending from the lower lip down to the chin, two thinner lines that connected her eyebrows in a double arc, and a pair of curved lines that seemed to frame her face. But what caught Thel's attention most was her eyes. The steely determination in them, the sense of complete dominance over anyone she beheld. Her gaze was calm, calculating, but looked ready to erupt into an inferno of fury at a moment's notice. It was the gaze of a trained killer. A warrior. Or a murderer. Considering that this was Omega, the latter seemed more likely.

"I was told that you are the person to talk to, should I have questions." Thel evenly began.

"Depends on the questions." Aria replied.

"Am I to understand that you rule Omega?" Thel asked. That was the way it seemed to him. At the very least, she was a very powerful crime lord on the station.

Aria simply laughed a low, almost mocking laugh in reply to Thel's query. She turned around and faced the pillar of neon light that stood in the center of her club, casting a silhouette as she thrust her arms out. "I _am _Omega."

She turned back towards the Arbiter. "But you need more. Everyone needs more something, and they all come to me. I'm the boss, CEO, queen if you're feeling dramatic. It doesn't matter. Omega has no titled ruler and _only _one rule."

The Asari took a seat on the couch, crossing her legs and leaning back as she smiled.

"Don't. _Fuck_. With Aria."

"A fair rule." the Arbiter said with a nod of agreement. "I shall do my best to abide by it."

"Good to hear." Aria replied. She nodded at the far left end of the couch. Thel walked over and took a seat. "So. What can I do for you?"

"I am looking for Cerberus." Thel simply replied. "I do not know if you are aware, but they are hiding somewhere on this station."

"Don't patronize me." the Asari warned. "Nothing _twitches a muscle _on Omega without my knowing it."

"Then you know where Cerberus hides?" Thel asked.

"No." Aria replied. "But I do know where a bunch of suspicious looking Humans hide. A few months back, a whole bunch of Humans moved into the Kima District. They bought an apartment building, everything was legit, I didn't see a reason to care. But the neighbors say those Humans almost _never _come out of there. And every other week, there'd be a package dropped on the doorstep that was taken inside before anyone had the chance to grab it." the Asari smirked. "Whoever's living in there is doing something that they wanna keep secret."

"Sounds like Cerberus." Thel pondered. "Everything they do, they do in the shadows. But if you suspect that these Humans are Cerberus, why have you not taken action against them?"

"Why should I?" Aria asked in turn. "Cerberus hasn't done anything to piss me off. Yet. But you?" the Asari leaned in a little closer to Thel. "Cerberus must have done something to _really _piss off the Sangheili if they're sending _you _after them."

"My reasons for hunting Cerberus are not your concern." Thel firmly responded.

"You're right. They're not." Aria aloofly replied as she leaned back into her original position. "One more thing. A few weeks ago, Blue Sun mercenaries moved in to Kima District, right next door to where your Cerberus friends are hanging around."

"Hired guards to ward off the curious." Thel concluded.

"Looks that way." Aria replied. "And they shelled out money for the big hitters, too. Not just the usual troopers, but also guys with rocket launchers and flame throwers." she smirked. "So yeah. Have fun with that."

"I shall." the Arbiter replied as he stood up. "You have my thanks for your help."

"You're welcome." Aria replied. "You can return the favor by killing a few Blue Suns while you're down there. They've been annoying me more than usual lately."

...

Thel and the Dama-Pair had to take a large air-van to the Kima district, as it was the only air vehicle capable of supporting the combined bulk of the two Mgalekgolo. As Thel piloted the air-van through the Omega skyways, he cast an eye downwards at the Omega streets below. The only colors he saw were varying shades of brown, broken up only by the occasional neon sign that advertised food, drink and pleasurable company. He saw street urchins begging for credits from the street corners and fighting one another over a single scrap of food, crowds of onlookers circling such combatants, no doubt to make wagers on who would win the privilege to eat. The Arbiter shook his head. It depressed him, knowing that no matter how much good he ever did or ever will do, places such as these will always exist. Light will always exist, but so too will darkness.

Thel landed the airvan in a back alley, several blocks away from Cerberus's supposed hideout. He dared not land closer, for to do so would risk alerting the Blue Sun guards to his presence. After all, to needlessly panic the herd was the sign of a careless hunter. As the airvan's engine powered down, Thel climbed out of the drivers seat and opened the side door. Cadavu and Bysoti hopped out and took a moment to stretch after being locked inside a cramped space for fifteen minutes. After granting them ten seconds of that luxury, the Arbiter motioned for the Mgalekgolo to follow him.

They navigated the blood-stained alleyways as quietly as they could. For Thel, stealth was a thing that came naturally and with little issue. But for his bulky Mgalekgolo companions, it was a trickier affair. Cadavu and Bysoti walked slowly and carefully, taking great care not to step on something loud or trip on something, their shields constantly raised as if expecting an ambush. The group was moving slower than Thel would personally like, but alas, it could not be helped. If the Mgalekgolo moved too quickly, the sound of their armor shuffling and their mighty boots jogging would betray them. The element of surprise was too important to risk losing, especially on this mission. Cerberus shut down their feed before the Arbiter could get an exact fix on the transmission. They knew the Arbiter was coming for them and would prepare accordingly, either to weather an assault on their base here or to flee to parts unknown. Thel particularly feared the latter; most Cerberus members were cowards, and if there was one thing cowards were good at, it was hiding. If they went to ground, there would be no telling when they would reveal themselves again. The Arbiter had to strike now while the iron was still hot.

After creeping through the labrynthine alleys for what seemed like hours, they turned the corner. Lying a hundred feet down another alleyway, they saw soldiers wearing armor with a blue-white color scheme. With a hand motion, Thel ordered Cadavu and Bysoti back around the corner to stay hidden. He then activated his cloak and stuck to the shadows as he faded from view. Silent as death, Thel made his way up the alley until he found himself at a four-way alley intersection. He took cover at another shadowy corner, deactivating his cloak so that it may recharge to full strength, and peaked his head out. An assortment of Humans and Unggoy decked out in Blue Sun uniforms stood outside the entrance to a large apartment building. There was a Batarian with them as well, the leader of the group judging from the way he carried himself. He walked down the stoop upon which he had been standing to meet with a Human trooper and his Unggoy entourage, a patrol squad coming back to report, most likely. Thel was thankful that he and the Dama-Pair encountered no such patrols as they approached. Fate was favoring him so far.

Thel keyed the Dama-pair and reported his findings in low whispers. "There are over twenty of them. Fifteen Unggoy, a hanful of troopers, and the Batarian appears to be this group's leader. More are likely inside."

"A formidable wall." came Bysoti's automated voice response. Since Mgalekgolo don't have vocal cords, they can't speak through radios and so rely on translation VI's in their armor that can interpret their 'rumblings' as words and then say them through the radio. "Perhaps we can punch a hole in it for you?"

"I have a better idea." Thel replied. "I will creep in through a window and make my way inside."

"But did you not say that there were likely even more Blue Suns inside?" Cadavu queried.

"Indeed." Thel replied. "Therefore, a distraction outside the building would be most useful in bringing most of them outside and away from me."

The Arbiter could swear he could feel the ground shaking from where he stood. The shaking had quick rhythm to it, the rhythm of a Mgalekgolo's laughter of delight.

"We can provide such a distraction." Bysoti pointed out.

"Good. Do so." Thel ordered. With that, he reactivated his cloak. He kept himself low as he made his way across the alleyway to the other side of the intersection. He decided it was best to stay out of the way for what would happen next.

...

Ever since they arrived on this Gods-forsaken rock, the Dama-pair had been eager to kill something. Even Cadavu, the cooler-headed of the pair, felt so much contempt for this place that he longed to take it out on something, and now he and Bysoti had the opportunity to do so. The two Mgalekgolo swung around the corner and charged, relieved to cast off the burdens of stealth. They fired their fuel rod cannons down the alley, aiming for the Blue Suns. Noticing the shots coming, the mercs wisely leapt and rolled out of the way. The Mgalekgolo then raised their shields to brace themselves for what would come next.

As expected, the Blue Suns withdrew their weapons and returned fire. Bullets began bouncing off their shields harmlessly, though it did force the Dama-pair to slow their charge down to an inexorable march. With their shields raised to block the incoming fire, the Mgalekgolo returned fire in turn with their fuel rod guns. The Blue Suns continued to duck and dodge as best they could. As they got closer, Cadavu and Bysoti noted that there were walls of sandbags around the apartment which the mercs used to take cover. It seemed that the Arbiter's suspicions had been correct. Cerberus knew an assault was coming and they prepared. They prayed that the Arbiter would be able to slaughter a few of the dogs before they could escape.

Another Human in Blue Sun armor emerged from the doorway with a rocket launcher and fired a rocket at Cadavu. It was only his quick reflexes that saved him, as Cadavu rose his shield just in time to block the rocket. The impact of the explosion singed Cadavu's armor while the shockwave stunned the both of them for a moment. More Blue Suns emerged from the doorway, mostly troopers and a few more heavies.

"It seems more have fallen into our trap." Cadavu observed. "Shall we spring it?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Bysoti rumbled with child-like glee as his back spines flared out, crackling with biotic energy. Cadavu flared out his spines as well, channeling his own biotic power for their attack. As one, the two Mgalekgolo bond brothers crouched low, lunged.

And then disappeared.

Blue auras were the only thing to track their travel before they reappeared amongst the Blue Suns. Bysoti barged right into the first heavy to emerge, hitting the merc with such force that his body flew right through a window back into the apartment. He then swung his shield and knocked a trooper into some trashcans on the other side of the street and took out the entire entourage of Blue Sun Unggoy with a well-aimed fuel rod shot. Cadavu barged into a heavy as well, knocking him to the ground and then smashing his shield onto the man's skull like a hammer upon an anvil, just to make sure that he was dead. After the heavy's skull was reduced to little more than a puddle of grey mush, Cadavu turned and faced a pair of troopers and their Unggoy minions. Cadavu raised his shield over his head as it was wrapped in a biotic aura, and slammed it upon the ground. This action triggered a series of biotic pulses to run across the ground until they struck the mercs, sending them flying. The only merc to survive that biotic shockwave was an Unggoy, who then turned around and began fleeing with his arms waving. "Feet, don't fail me now!" he cried out as he ran. Cadavu chose not to fire on the coward and let him go. One pathetic little Unggoy wasn't worth the ammunition.

The remaining Blue Suns then retreated back through the door and into the apartment. That was bad. The objective of this distraction was to lure the Blue Suns out, not drive them back in. Cadavu fired his fuel rod on the door, hoping to not only kill some of those that ran, but also to maintain the illusion that their base was under attack. It was then that Bysoti suddenly barked in pain as a few shots struck him in a small spot where there was no armor. He looked and beheld more Blue Suns running down a street towards them. Cadavu noticed several more Blue Suns charging at them from the other end of the street.

"Shall we charge again?" Bysoti asked.

"We may have to." Cadavu answered. "Doubtful they're brave enough to come to us."

And so, each bond brother biotically charged toward each group of Blue Suns, eager for more carnage.

...

As the Arbiter climbed the fire escape on the building's side, he heard the cries of panic, the firing of guns, the explosions of radioactive gel projectiles and the laughter of the Dama-pair. They were causing a ruckus, which was exactly what Thel needed. Once he felt that he was high up enough, he climbed through a window. He climbed into a hallway corner with cheap rug that was dotted with the occasional stain. The walls of the inside of the building seemed little cleaner than the walls on the outside. He saw a Blue Suns trooper barging down the hall. He probably did not notice the Arbiter yet, being cloaked, but that would soon change once he got closer. Thel had little choice. He gripped his sword handle. As soon as the Blue Sun was within range, Thel snapped it on.

With a single thrust, Thel impaled the mercenary trooper on his sword, right through his heart, if the merc even had one. His massive hand gripped itself around the Batarian's throat and squeezed, strangling out anything resembling a scream. After struggling for a second, the trooper went limp. As his cloak faded, Thel withdrew his sword but maintained his grip. He opened a door to a room and carried the body inside, closing the door behind him. Judging from all the weapons and crates that were in this room, it seemed that Cerberus was using this room as an armory. Thel stashed the body away in a closet. He could not afford to be discovered now. As far as Cerberus and the Blue Suns knew, the Mgalekgolo pair outside was their only problem.

Speaking of whom, it was then that Cadavu reported the situation outside through Thel's earpiece. "Some of the Blue Suns at the entrance have retreated inside. Hopefully they are simply regrouping for a counter-attack against Bysoti and I. Stay away from the lower floors if you can."

"My thanks for the warning." Thel replied before walking up to the door. He put an ear against the door to ensure that there were no more troopers coming. He did not hear anything except the distant sounds of battle outside. Satisfied, Thel reactivated his cloak and opened the door.

He navigated the corridors until finding himself at the elevators. There was a convenient map to tell him what was on each floor. He then found that there was a dining hall on one of the floors above him, near the top. Dining halls were usually quite spacious, and so made for good makeshift command centers. If Cerberus was indeed using this building as a command post, the dining hall may be where its beating heart lies. If nothing else, it was a good place to begin looking. His path set, Thel called the elevator. After a moment, the door opened and the Arbiter stepped inside and keyed the desired floor. The doors closed and the elevator began its ascent.

As the elevator ascended, Thel kept a hand on the plasma rifle on his thigh. So far, there had been no need to use it, but if the cafeteria was indeed the command center, it was possible that the deadliest Blue Sun guards would be there, as well as several traps designed to dispatch any intruders. Thel would have to be cautious. He will reactivate his cloak as soon as he's on the desired floor.

That is, he will once he _gets _to the desired floor. He growled in annoyance as the aggravatingly cheerful elevator music played on. Perhaps it was simply the stress of his current situation, but Thel could swear that this elevator was the most infuriatingly slow thing he had ever encountered.

At long last, the elevator door opened. His cloak fully active, Thel peeked outside and slowly crept into the dining hall. It seemed that Thel's instincts were right. There were computer consoles, monitors and servers strewn all about the mess hall, mostly against the walls. In the center was a massive holographic projector that displayed a fully functional galaxy map. The map implied to Thel that Chasca was not the only twisted experiment that Cerberus oversaw from this building.

There was no one here however. It seemed that Cerberus had fled this place, but in doing so they foolishly left behind their computers. Now Thel could discover yet more Cerberus cells and put an end to those atrocities. Perhaps he could even find the way to the Beast himself. His hearts swelling with confidance and purpose, he continued to slowly make his way into the room.

It was then that he was suddenly hit by what felt like a blow to his abdomen, forcing him to stagger back. With a flash of blue light and sparks, his cloak and his shields were both forcefully deactivated. "I knew you were coming. So I ordered my people out of here before you could get at them. And with your two hunter friends keeping the Blue Suns busy, I suppose it's just you and me now."

That voice. Thel had heard it before.

The Arbiter looked and growled at who he saw. A female Human came out from hiding behind a large server and approached Thel, her omni-tool still glowing from that overload attack she had just hit Thel with. She wore no armor. Some would call that foolish, but Thel had fought this woman twice before; once on Tortuga, and again on Bekenstein. She was so nimble and deadly that, truth be told, she didn't really need armor, not even against him. What she wore instead was a white jumpsuit with black sleeves and black boots that ended in heels. Though heeled boots usually slowed down most Human females, this one seemed able to walk and fight just fine in them. The shape of her body did not escape him. He knew enough about Human culture to know that this female was likely considered quite beautiful by most Humans. Of course, as the old Sangheili saying goes, beauty is evil's favorite disguise.

"_You._" The Arbiter snarled at the Human.

"Hello Thel." she formally greeted him, as though the two weren't about to try and kill one another.

"Twice before you escaped me. You shall not escape a third time!" The Arbiter vowed. He withdrew his sword and snapped it on. Fully drawn, the sword was now demanding blood, and blood it would receive. "Once I have slain you, I shall tear down your vile coven one cell at a time! And when I find the Beast's lair, I shall take his head and mount it on a pike! Pray to your God, Cerberus filth! FOR TODAY YOU SHALL MEET HIM!"

The woman simply sighed in mock disappointment. "And here I was expecting something more along the lines of 'Hello Miranda. It's good to see you again, my old friend.'"

Thel roared in righteous fury and then charged. Miranda simply stood her ground, her body wrapping itself in biotics as she wore a smug smirk. As Thel closed the distance, he tried to swing his energy sword in a wide horizontal arc, aiming right for Miranda's neck. The Cerberus officer blocked the blow by taking a step forward and slamming her forearm against his, stopping his attack in mid-slash. With her free hand, she closed her fist and punched the Sangheili right in the gut.

With the wind knocked out of him, Thel was stunned for only a second, but a second was all Miranda needed. The Human then grabbed his sword arm and used it as something to hold on to as she did a cartwheel over it, striking the Sangheili right right across the mouth with both her stiletto heels. As she landed on Thel's side, she let go of his arm and ducked to avoid his second horizontal slash. She quickly summoned up some biotics around her hand and thrust it out. Thel was sent flying into a wall by the biotic melee attack.

The Arbiter quickly recovered and was back on his feet, his sword still held tightly in his hand. He spat out some blood and a few teeth. Being a predatory species, Sangheili go through many teeth and are usually quick to regrow them. The Cerberus operator had done no permanent damage to him yet. As he angrily glared at her, Miranda took a rather haughty pose, leaning on one leg with a hand on her hip.

"You know, you _are _a couple of years shy of the big bicentennial." she pointed. "Are you sure you're not getting too old for this?"

The only reply Thel gave her was another cry of anger before charging again. He swung his sword, trying to slash at the Human, but she moved as fast as lightning and as gracefully as water. She ducked and weaved, dodging every one of his slashes. She even had the good sense to jump when the Arbiter tried to slash at her feet. After Thel attempted and failed an upwards slash, Miranda jumped up into a backwards summersault, kicking the sword out of his hand. The blade sailed across the room and embedded itself into a computer console on the far wall. Thel was undeterred from his assault. If he could no longer use his sword, his own fists and feet would do fine. Gods only knew Miranda was proficient in weaponless combat, unless her biotics counted as a weapon.

Thel and Miranda were deadlocked in their melee. As he fought, the Arbiter wondered how it was that the Cerberus officer was able to fight back so effectively. While Humans were indeed a warrior race worthy of respect, the average Sangheili was still far larger and stronger than the average Human, so Thel never had much trouble defeating an ordinary Human one-on-one. By now, it was abundantly clear to him that Miranda was no ordinary Human. Her strength and agility were easily on par with his own, which would've made her nearly twice as strong and swift as the average Human. Indeed, she was easily the most formidable Human Thel had faced since the Human-Covenant War, loathe as he was to admit it.

Thel knew that the goal of Cerberus's experiments on Binthu was to recreate the Spartans, Humanity's greatest warriors. He was beginning to wonder if those experiments yielded some results.

Thel continued his onslaught, punch after punch, but Miranda kept alternating between blocking and dodging. He had her on the defensive now, but he still couldn't get a single hit in. He tried to deliver a left cross right to her nose, but she moved her head just in time. Rather than try to follow it up with a counter blow however, she grabbed his outstretched arm and heaved. Thel's world was turned upside down as the raven-haired Human flipped him over her head, using the momentum from his own punch against him. He landed on the floor hard on his back. Still holding on to his arm, the Cerberus loyalist then lifted her boot up with the apparent intention to stomp on his throat or chest.

This time, Thel was the faster one.

Thel's hand caught Miranda's boot in mid-stomp before it make contact. With his hand locked on her ankle like a trap, the Arbiter then curled his back, bringing his legs to his chest, coiling himself like a spring. He then thrust his lower body outward, lifting himself up and lifting his opponent right along with him. He landed on his feet. She landed on her head as the Arbiter had slammed her down on the floor as he landed. Still holding tightly onto her ankle, he swung her around and tossed her into a computer panel. The Human cried out in pain as her back impacted the console and she collapsed on the floor. The Sangheili then marched over to her with the intent of finishing her, but she then rolled away and then spun back onto her feet. She then rushed up to him and tried to land in some punches and kicks, but Thel was able to dodge and block them all. He grumbled curses to himself. Now _he _was on the defensive. It was then that he had an idea.

Miranda threw one punch, but rather than block or dodge it, Thel simply caught the fist in his hand. She then tried to launch another punch with her other hand, and Thel caught that punch as well. He then reared his head back and headbutted her as hard as he could.

The headbutt had always been one of Thel's favorite hand-to-hand combat tricks. It saved his life on more than one occasion.

Miranda was stunned for only a second, but a second was all Thel needed. He put his strength into his arms to try and push against Miranda's arms in the hopes that he would break them. She may not have been an ordinary Human, but even her bones would have had limits. Once her arms were broken, her biotics would be useless, and at long last, her time would be done.

For the third time, she turned the tables on him.

She leapt up, using Thel's arms as though they were gymnastic rings to steady herself in mid-air as she bended her legs toward her chest, then kicked them out in his face, her boots hitting the Sangheili right on the nose. It stunned him enough to release his grip on her fists. She then blasted him with another heavy biotic melee attack which again sent him flying into a wall.

This wasn't going well. Thel needed to do something to turn the odds in his favor. "You have _guns _you know." Miranda mockingly pointed out. "You could make things a lot easier on yourself by actually _using _them."

"...A wise suggestion." the Arbiter replied. He then grabbed his plasma rifle, aimed it at Miranda and opened fire. With a surprised look on her face that Thel was pleased to see, the Human spun on her heels and ran for cover behind the galaxy map in the center of the room.

"Damn it!" she cursed.

"This was _your _suggestion, you know." Thel said as he stood up and kept his rifle aimed at the galaxy map.

"Well, I didn't thing you'd actually _do _it." Miranda countered. "Isn't what you're doing _cheating _according to your people's code of honor?"

"It would be, if my opponent had not suggested it, implying that it would be allowed in our duel from here on." Thel argued. "Besides, if you had a gun, you would be using it as well."

"...You're right. I would."

Miranda then popped out of cover with a large pistol in her hand. She aimed at Thel and fired. Thel's shields took several hits from the attack as he ran forward, taking cover behind the side of the galaxy map console opposite Miranda's side.

"I didn't know Cerberus had a code of honor that prohibits guns until a certain point." Thel said.

"We don't. You just charged right at me and started swinging that sword around at first, so I didn't think a long-range weapon was practical at that particular juncture." Miranda replied matter-of-factly.

"So Cerberus _does _lackhonor. By your own admission, no less." Thel smugly said. The Sangheili and the Human were on opposite sides of the galaxy map. If either one rose, they could be cut down by the other. He had to figure out a way around this stalemate.

"That's the problem with most Sangheili." Miranda said. "No offense, but your species has a bad habit of mistaking pragmatism for cowardice."

Thel peeked out around the corner and saw his salvation; his energy sword, stuck on a malfunctioning computer, its handle beckoning him. It would be risky, but he saw little other choice.

"Just as your coven has a bad habit of mistaking insanity for science." Thel replied. "I have been shutting down Cerberus cells for weeks now. I've seen what your vision for the future involves, and heed my words Miranda, yours is the path of madness."

Miranda scoffed at that. "You're just like the Alliance. You're not-"

Thel took off from behind cover and made a mad dash for his sword while Miranda was making her counter-argument. He felt his shields take a few shots from her pistol, but it did not concern him. Within seconds, he had reached the sword and pulled it free from the console. He turned around, ready to resume the battle.

Only to have a pistol jabbed into his mandibles, the barrel pressed against the roof of his mouth. In front of him was Miranda, wearing a triumphant smirk.

"Insulting my organization to get a rise out of me, thus distracting me and buying you a couple extra seconds to make a dash for your sword." Miranda said. "Clever. But I was ready for you to make a break for the sword. Sangheili _always _make a break for their swords."

Thel glared at the Human before him. He showed no fear of death. He would not give her the satisfaction. "Oh, don't give me that defiant, 'I will not bow to you' look." Miranda said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not going to kill you. In the long run, killing you would cause more problems than it would solve. I have something better in mind."

The Arbiter suddenly felt something jab into his neck. Whatever it was, it was thin, cold, and seemed to fill his veins with something. He realized that she stabbed him in the neck with a syringe before everything went dark.

...

The next thing the Arbiter felt was cold water being splashed across his face. He snarled indignantly at being woken in such a manner. He would have raised his fist to strike whoever did it, only to find his hands were strapped to the arms of a chair by metal cuffs with electronic locks, and his feet were bound to the chair's legs by similar bonds. "I was going to wait for you to wake up, but I don't have all day, so I got tired of waiting."

Thel snapped his head up and saw Miranda standing in front of him, holding a now-empty bucket in her hands. She wore a coy smirk on her face.

The Arbiter silently vowed that he would _carve _that smirk off her face if it was the last thing he ever did.

His eyes and head darted around his surroundings. Surrounded by giant crates and below a roof with a large skylight, he realized that he was in a warehouse. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere your two Mgalekgolo friends can't find us." Miranda answered as she walked over to a table and set the bucket on it. "And don't worry. They're fine. They thoroughly swept the streets with those Blue Suns. They're looking for you right now, but they won't find you until _I _say so." She picked up a datapad and walked up to the Arbiter. "Now then, you and I have a few things we need to discuss."

"Kill me or release me, Cerberus!" Thel barked at the Human. "But do not waste my time with talk!"

Miranda faux-sighed. "Oh Thel. And here I was thinking you knew me well enough by now. If you did, you'd know that _nothing _I do is a waste of time." She picked up a datapad from the table. "For the record, I'd like to clear something up. The experiment you stumbled upon on Chasca?"

"The one that saw you kill dozens of innocents and turn them into cybernetic abominations?" Thel asked in a low growl.

"Yes, but those subjects weren't colonists." Miranda pointed out. She then began to read off from the list. "Carl Baker, 27, three counts sexual assault. Eli Johnson, 38, thirty-two counts arson. Monique Tiller, 34, twelve counts murder. Li Meng, 49, seven counts arson, fourteen counts murder and one count embezzlement of Cord-Hislop company funds. Just to name a few." She looked up from the datapad and towards Thel. "The subjects on Chasca were hardly what you would call 'innocents.' They were all criminals with obscene records. That 'colony' we shipped the dragon's teeth to was really a hideout for a gang of thugs. Cerberus used them for test subjects in the Armageddon Project because we knew that they wouldn't be missed."

"Even if they were cretins, not even a Jiralhanae would deserve the fate you inflicted on them." Thel argued in a low growl.

"Nice to see the decades haven't eroded your idealism." Miranda sarcastically stated before turning her eyes back to the datapad in her hand, tapping a few more buttons on it. "The results of the project were interesting. Before you showed up and forcefully shut it down, we were able to observe the husks' behavior and draw some conclusions from it. Left on their own, the husks tended to wander around the area aimlessly, some even just sitting in a corner and not doing anything at all. They were, for all intents and purposes, mindless. Until they're given an order to do something, they don't really do much of anything. Course, when you showed up, the husks snapped out of their mindlessness and responded to your presence with violence, indicating that they have a hardwired default protocol to attack any and all organic life forms on sight. Cerberus is still trying to figure out-"

"What is the point of telling me all this?!" Thel demanded. "What makes you think I care for the results of your twisted experiments?!"

"Because like it or not, _you _have as much stake in it as the rest of us do." Miranda replied. "Eden Prime was just the beginning. Soon, the whole galaxy is going to be locked in a war for its very survival, and we need to do everything we can to get ready. The first step is to understand what we're up against."

Thel simply stared at Miranda for a second. He then huffed, half-amused, half-disgusted. "You dare propose a truce? After all that your kind has done?" he silently demanded, picking up on what the Cerberus officer was subtly suggesting.

"Ah yes. Fleetmaster 'Zyrael. I was just about to get to him." Miranda said before tapping a few more keys on the datapad. "It was unfortunate that he was poking his nose where it didn't belong. The Project lead on Binthu Dr. Ivanovich captured him, as per our orders at the time, but he was also under _strict _instructions to keep the good Fleetmaster alive until Cerberus Command reached a decision on what to do with him. We were considering that perhaps he could be persuaded into aiding us, into becoming an asset and contact within the Sangheili Empire, but Ivanovich took the decision out of our hands and executed him without waiting for further instructions. Truth be told Thel, I probably would've killed him myself if you hadn't beat me to it."

"A true Sangheili like 'Zyrael would have _never _worked with _your _ilk." Thel hissed.

"Wouldn't he?" Miranda asked the Arbiter with a raised eyebrow. "Don't let idealism blind you, Thel. Your people are chafing under Council rule as much as mine are. You actually stand to gain from Cerberus's agenda."

The Sangheili simply growled at the Cerberus officer. "I have seen what Cerberus's agenda has wrought. My people want no part in such heresy!"

Miranda sighed. "I didn't think I'd be able to convince you...today." She then set the datapad on the table. "The binds tying you to that chair are on a timed lock. They'll expire in about ten minutes." she then activated her omni-tool and pressed a few buttons. "I've activated the Sangheili-encrypted distress beacon. Should bring your hunter friends running. And finally, everything you need to know about Saren, the Geth, and the Reapers is on that datapad. You're welcome to take it with you. Take care of yourself out there, Thel."

She smiled at the Arbiter. "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to my favorite sparring partner." she playfully added. She then turned on her heels and walked out down the corridor of crates and turned the corner out of sight. Thel heard her stiletto heels echo against the floor until they were interrupted by the sound of a door opening then closing. He seethed in his seat.

"I'll have your head yet, Miranda." Thel vowed. "You cannot duck from my blade's path forever."

...

So it was that, just as Miranda said, the iron binds came free of their own accord. When they did, Thel wasted no time in searching the perimeter for any trace or clue that Miranda may have left behind. But alas, she got away clean. He growled ever more curses. She had escaped his grasp yet again.

A few minutes after that, Cadavu and Bysoti arrived in the warehouse and told the Arbiter all of what had happened. They had eliminated all of the vile Blue Suns, but they saw a massive explosion of flame roar forth from the top-most windows of the apartment complex. When they arrived on the top floor to investigate, they found only the charred remains of several computers, and the Arbiter was nowhere to be found. They began searching the whole neighborhood, interrogating urchins and knocking down doors, desperate in their search. A full hour passed before they detected an Imperial distress beacon coming from the warehouse. Needless to say, they were quite relieved to find that the Arbiter was unharmed.

Thel was discouraged by the report Cadavu and Bysoti gave. All those computers he had found, all that data, gone in a plume of smoke and flame. Now the only clues that remained were on the datapad that Miranda left behind for Thel to pick up, just as she planned, most likely. He knew not what Cerberus would hope to gain from allowing the Arbiter a small glimpse into their activities, but if what the Cerberus officer said was true, on that datapad would be the key to to understanding a larger threat. Perhaps he could even use the knowledge on the datapad to find another cell and continue his hunt.

...No. Cerberus does not hand out peace offerings unless they stand to gain something from it. The Arbiter would not play into the Beast's hand.

He destroyed the datapad with one swift swing of his blade. For all he knew, it could have been laced with poison or rigged to explode the moment he began reading it. At the very least, it would have been bugged.

So it was with a bitter heart that the Arbiter returned to the _Seeker of the Truth _and gave orders to leave the Sahrabarik system as soon as possible. The more distance he put between himself and this wretched place, the better. It thankfully did not take long for the cruiser to leave the system. The Arbiter's phantom was the only one to embark for Omega, as no one else on the ship wanted to set foot in that vile station, so once the Arbiter's phantom docked in the _Seeker's _hangar, everything was ready to go. The Arbiter was walking down a corridor that would lead back to his quarters. His intention now was to get some badly-needed rest.

"Arbiter?" The Shipmaster's voice came through the Arbiter's earpiece. Thel sighed. It seemed the Gods were not going to grant him any rest just yet.

"What is it?" he asked, certain that whatever he was about to hear wouldn't be good.

"You have a call waiting for you in the comm room." the Shipmaster reported. "Someone who claims to be a Spectre."

The Arbiter paused in surprise. "The Spartan?" he asked.

"I do not believe so. This transmission came from the Citadel. Unless I am mistaken, the Master Chief still out in the traverse somewhere." the Shipmaster explained.

"You are not mistaken." the Arbiter confirmed. "I'm on my way. We shall see what this Spectre wants."

With that, the Arbiter marched toward the _Seeker of the Truth's _comm room. The room was dimly lit by the calming blue light of the computer monitors that lined the wall. In the center of the room's floor was a round holographic projector, surrounded by a metal fence of sorts. He turned to one of the Unggoy that was working on one of the computers. "Patch the Spectre through." Thel ordered.

"Your will be done, oh Holy Arbiter." The Unggoy replied as he pressed a few buttons at his console. A second later, a hologram appeared from the projector on the floor, and indeed, it was not the Spartan. It was a Salarian wearing striped armor. The Arbiter could tell from the rigid way he stood and the way he held his hands behind his back in a very business-like manner that this Salarian was a professional soldier who took his station quite seriously.

"Arbiter Thel 'Vadam? Jondum Bau. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." The Salarian quickly introduced himself in a fast-paced, yet formal tone of voice.

"For what reason would a Spectre contact the Arbiter?" Thel asked.

"Are you familiar with rumors that Spectre Saren Arterius has gone rogue?" Bau asked.

"I know they are more than mere rumors." Thel replied. "And I know the Master Chief has been tasked by the Council to hunt him."

"Indeed." Bau replied with a nod. "During his hunt for Saren, the Master Chief found out that Saren has an interest in the Forerunner ring-world known as Halo, which is confirmed to be somewhere in the Attican Traverse. While the Chief continues his hunt for Saren and the Conduit, the Council has made it my mission to find and secure Halo before Saren and the Geth do."

The Arbiter was surprised by this development. Saren was interested in Halo? Disquieting. If Saren ever did find Halo, Gods only knew what kind of havoc he'd wreak. "Why are you bringing this to _my_ attention?" Thel asked.

"Simple. One hundred and thirty-one years ago, you fought the Flood and the Jiralhanae on Delta Halo during the Great Schism. You assaulted and navigated the Library and successfully secured the Index, and then you assaulted the Control Room to keep Chieftain Tartarus from firing the ring. Basically, you know your way around Halo, and so your assistance would be a great asset to my mission's success." Bau explained.

"The Master Chief knows the ring as well as I do. _And _he is a Spectre like you." Thel pointed out. "Do you not think he would make a more appropriate guide than I?"

"Funny thing. I actually asked the Council for the Chief's assistance for that very reason." Bau replied. "I even argued that this should be _his _mission, not mine. At any rate, the Chief knows his way around Halo better than I do. But they said that between Saren and the Conduit, the Chief's hands are full enough already. So, if I can't have assistance from one legend from the Human-Covenant War with noted experience regarding Forerunner installations, I decided to seek the aid of _another_ legend from the Human-Covenant War with noted experience regarding Forerunner Installations."

Thel paused in thought, mulling over the Spectre's call for aid. With the destruction of that command center on Omega and Miranda's escape, he was effectively out of leads in his hunt for the Beast. His next move was going to be to head back to Citadel space and prod the Human Alliance for more leads on Cerberus cells, but in lieu of a more urgent threat, the Arbiter thought it wise to postpone his hunt for the time being. "What do you need?" he asked the Salarian.

"Your physical presence by my side and a single ship." Bau said. "_One single _ship. I'm afraid I must insist on no fleets or armies. This mission is going to take us perilously close to the Terminus Systems, and the Council doesn't want to provoke a war with that region."

"...Very well." the Arbiter said. "I shall begin making arrangements for this mission at once. Meet me in Beacon of Discovery on Therum, in the Artemis Tau Cluster, and you shall have a ship and an Arbiter."

The Salarian Spectre smiled in gratitude, then nodded. "The Citadel Council thanks you for your cooperation. I'll book transport to Therum at once. Bau out." With that, the Salarian's image disappeared. Thel turned toward the Unggoy operating the communications computer.

"Establish a link with Imperial Command." Thel ordered. "It appears I have a few calls I need to make."

...

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): MGALEKGOLO**

_Mgalekgolo are easily one of the strangest sentient species living in Citadel Space. What makes them so strange and different from other species is their anatomy. A single Mgalekgolo is in fact a gestalt of small worm-like creatures called Lekgolo bound together in a bipedal mechanical frame that allows the gestalt to interact with other species. While it is common to see Mgalekgolo in small civilian frames that are usually no larger than the average Citadel citizen, most Mgalekgolo military units prefer frames that are more than twice that size, usually armed with heavy weaponry such as fuel rod guns and thick bullet-proof shields._

_Similar to the Unggoy, the Mgalekgolo are a client race of the Sangheili Empire. Within the Imperial Military, Mgalekgolo usually serve as anti-vehicle units and heavy weapon specialists, giving Sangheili combat forces the extra muscle and firepower needed to break through an enemy line or hold on to a position for as long as possible. Though most Mgalekgolo still serve this role dutifully within the Imperial military, they have been branching out into other forms of combat in recent years. Shortly after the discovery of biotics, it was learned that Lekgolo worms are sensitive to element zero exposure and when they combine into a Mgalekgolo gestalt, the interweaving mass effect fields creates a powerful biotic effect. Many Mgalekgolo biotics stick to their species' tried and true heavy weapon support role on the battlefield, fighting with an interplay of fuel rod blasts, shield slams and crushing biotic attacks. However, some are integrated into less bulky combat frames designed to enhance their biotic power. Such Mgalekgolo units are currently rare, but many armchair generals suspect that they will become more common in the years ahead._

_Due to lack of vocal cords, Mgalekgolo communicate by vibrating their Lekgolo worms at differing pitches, resulting in a sound that some describe as being 'felt' more than heard. Nevertheless, most translation programs are designed to pick up on these vibrations and translate them into the user's mother tongue. Another anatomical quirk the Mgalekgolo have is their extremely simplistic digestive system. Though their homeworld Te was built on dextro-aminio acids like Palaven and Rannoch, the Mgalekgolo actually prefer consuming the minerals found in rock and dirt, similar to earthworms._

_Mgalekgolo have a warrior-based culture, similar to their long-time allies the Sangheili, that emphasizes military service and duty, as well as a fine appreciation of war poetry. Unfortunately, they harbor an arrogant and almost scornful attitude towards races they feel are inferior, such as Hanar or Volus. They usually only display respect towards other warrior races such as Sangheili, Turians, and Humans. Because of this, Mgalekgolo diplomats are incredibly rare and Mgalekgolo in general prefer to stay within Empire space._

...

**So yeah. I just invented Mgalekgolo Vanguards. Why? Fuck you, that's why.**

**Funny story behind the whole "Mgalekgolo are a Dextro-Amino" race. I was actually fully aware at the time that Lekgolo ate rocks, but that made me think that Mgalekgolo would enjoy dextro-food too. Why? Because when Mass Effect 1 came out, I read the Turian Biology codex entry and, being the dumb teenager that I was at the time, I misinterpreted the text (or didn't really pay attention to it, I forget which) and thought that the Turians ate rocks. It seemed to make sense cuz Turian skin seems kinda stone-like.**

**So yeah. Whenever I hear "Dextro-Amino," my first thought is "rock." How's THAT for the mother of all derps?**

**So yeah. I decided to try giving the Mgalekgolo an earthworm's digestive system; they do mainly eat rock and dirt, but since Te is a dextro world, they won't turn their noses up at dextro food.**

**...You know, this actually raises a pretty good question. Do earthworms eat anything besides dirt? Someone should conduct an experiment. Somebody go dig in your backyard for worms then try feeding them something. Send me a PM once you get a conclusive result.**

**Speaking of PM's: STOP SENDING ME PM'S ABOUT HALO 4. YOU ARE ACCIDENTALLY SPOILING THE GAME FOR ME. I haven't bought it yet because at the moment I'm a little too poor and Irish to get it. Hopefully that will change in the next few days and I'll finally be able to get it.**

**Finally, I noticed that lately there has been a new influx of negative reviews regarding the first few chapters. It seems that as my fanfic grows more popular, it's attracting more attention. Problem is, they can't read through the first few chapters and get to the good stuff. I suppose I could reassure them by saying "It gets better later," but that's never been a terribly good excuse. A person really shouldn't have to wade through crap to get to the good stuff. So I decided to patch up the first few chapters a bit. Nothing big, mind you. Just a few extra bits of dialogue and the moving of the AI / Slipspace codex entries to those chapters so that new readers at least get the whole picture before passing judgement**


	34. The Board Has Many Players

**Well well. Reviews to the last chapter certainly were interesting.**

**Specifically, Miranda being a fairly even match for Thel. Even though Miranda is a "genetically perfect" Human, a lot of reviewers found it odd that Miranda was not only holding her own against Thel, but also kinda kicking his ass in some spots. One reviewer even suggested that Miranda was something of a "Creator's Pet" in the last chapter. Truth is I'm not a huge fan of Miranda, but I know that I have readers who are, so I was simply trying to do their girl some justice by making her out to be a badass easily on par with the God Damn Arbiter. In hindsight, I might have overshot that goal a bit. But, I still think I can justify it.**

**Because of her superior genes, Miranda is stronger, faster and more intelligent than the average Human. Way I figure it, Miranda is about on par with a SPARTAN-III in terms of strength and agility; she's not as powerful as a SPARTAN-II, but she's still capable of giving even a Sangheili like Thel a run for his money in a one-one-one fight, even without using her biotics.**

**And keep in mind that while Thel is undoubtedly one of the most badass Sangheili around, he's still just a Sangheili. Unlike his counterpart the Master Chief, the Arbiter never underwent any biological augmentation. He is, physically at least, no more powerful than the average Sangheili. So I'd say that Thel and Miranda are actually fairly equal in terms of strength. I guess Miranda just got lucky in that last fight. Don't worry. Thel will more than redeem himself later on in the story when the time comes.**

**Now then, on to the Master Chief finally arriving home on Planet Rea-AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA! No. That's not happening in this chapter. What, you think Chief's the only one in the galaxy with stuff to do?**

**In this chapter, I'll be introducing a couple of OC's that I've been working on. Yes, I can see some of you rolling your eyes at that, but just roll with me on this one; I'm only introducing them now because they have roles to play later in the story. Hopefully I'll write them in such a way that you won't hate them :)**

...

0600 Hours, March 8th, 2683

_SSV Mare Erythraeum_

Undisclosed Location in the Attican Beta Cluster

...

The scent of caffeine filled her nostrils as her eyes snapped open. Once she was fully awake, she pressed a button on the interior of the sleep pod, the hatch hissing open. She could still smell feint traces of the gaseous stimulant that woke her every morning as she climbed out of the pod and walked over to a yoga mat near the back of her office. She stretched in a series of sun salutes, archer poses and splits. When she was done with her usual twenty-minute hatha yoga routine, she dropped to her belly and began her push-ups.

From the light tone of her skin, one would guess that she had a North American or European lineage. She had long blonde hair that grew down to her shoulder blades. Longer than regulation allowed, yes, but she keeps it all in a bun on-duty and usually wears a helmet on missions, so it wasn't not as though it compromised her ability to fight. She looked to be fairly young, late-twenties at most. She had a rather small, thin frame, being only five foot nine in height. However, her muscles on her arms and legs were toned by years of intense workout regimes and combat experience.

Her office was about twenty feet by twenty feet, just big enough to squeeze in everything she needed. In the back of the room was a gym mat on which she did her usual morning exercise routine. Against one wall was a sleeping pod. She prefered sleeping pods over real beds, having grown accustomed to them over her career. Along that same wall was a closet that had multiple ONI uniforms and in the corner was the door to the adjacent bathroom.

Her desk and the three chairs facing it sat on the side of the room opposite the sleeping pod and closet. On it was her personal computer, a stack of datapads, and a bust of a man with thinning hair, a large forehead, thick eyebrows, a square jaw and a ruthless gaze. Engraved in the little plaque at the base of the bust was the name _Colonel James Ackerson._

Once she was finished with her morning workout, she walked into the bathroom and took a ten-minute shower. She then emerged from the shower wrapped in a towel and walked over to the closet to grab her uniform.

"Good morning, Major Ackerson." said a voice. The image of a holographic old man in a butler uniform appeared from the hologram projector on her desk. "We are currently six hours away from Feros."

"Thank you, Samuel." Danielle Ackerson replied to her smart AI assistant, who then winked out from her desk. Six hours was a little long for her, but at least she would have time to go over some paperwork.

...

The Alliance Cruiser _Mare Erythraeum_ docked with Zhu's Hope's docking bay. Ackerson stood in the ship's loading bay with a platoon of forty-eight men and women. The hatch hissed open and Ackerson led her soldiers out. They marched up the staircase that eventually led them to the colony itself; a partially disassembled freighter in the middle of the courtyard. This was all that was left of the colony after the Geth attack.

Ackerson keyed FIELDCOM and started rattling off orders. "Fireteam Alpha-One, guard the stairs behind us. Alpha-Two, head up the tower and secure it. Bravo-One, secure the elevator, Bravo-Two, secure the garage that the elevator leads up to. Charlie-Squad, head down into the tunnels and make sure it's squeaky clean. I don't want so much as a stray pyjak poking around down there. Everyone else, head down to the stairwell leading beneath the colony. Captain Falana, you're in charge of overseeing sample retrievals. Acknowledge."

She saw a swarm of green winks across her helmet's HUD. "Good. Now move it." she coldly finished. Like a well-oiled machine, her platoon split into different groups to carry out their tasks. As they did so, a man with a wrinkled face approached the major. He was wearing a shirt without sleeves and baggy jeans; fairly standard wear for an Attican Traverse colonist. The most noticeable feature was a bandage on his right shoulder.

"Fai Dan?" Danielle asked, the man's appearance fitting the colonial leader's description from the Master Chief's report.

"The one and only." Dan replied half-jokingly. "I take it you're with the Alliance?"

"Indeed. Major Danielle Ackerson, Office of Naval Intelligence." Ackerson introduced herself.

Dan's eyes widened a bit at that. "ONI?" he asked. "No offense but, what are you guys doing here? I was told that the Alliance was sending relief."

"They did." Ackerson plainly answered. "My ship is unloading relief supplies as we speak. Food, water, medical supplies, everything a Human colony needs to recover from a recent invasion." She then activated her omni-tool and turned on a screen showing the full mission report. "However, I understand that you're not just worried about immediate relief. Zhu's Hope also has more long-term concerns, correct?"

"Er, yes." Fai Dan replied, apparently off-put by how much Ackerson knew. Not an uncommon reaction in her line of work. "ExoGeni cut the colony's funding. I suppose with the Thorian dead and gone, they no longer see a reason to back us. They'll leave us alone now, but without their funding and all the damage the Geth caused, I don't think this colony can be saved. We're just not self-suficient. We may have to shut Zhu's Hope down and return to Earth."

"Not necessarily." Ackerson said as she pressed a few more buttons on her omni-tool. "ONI is prepared to compensate Zhu's Hope for damages. Will five million credits suffice?"

Fai Dan's eyes looked ready to pop right out of his skull. "Five _million?!_" he asked. "That...that would be _more _then enough to sustain us! We could even grow and expand with that kind of money!"

"I thought so." Ackerson. "However, there are a couple of things that I'm going to need you to agree to before I can hand it over. First of all, ONI didn't give you this money."

"...Beg pardon?" Dan asked.

"That's what you're going to say whenever someone asks." Ackerson said. "Instead you'll tell them that it was a generous donation from the billionaire philanthropist Thomas Thurgood, something that he will announce tommorrow morning on ANN at around nine-thirty. You'll get your money shortly afterwards. ONI had nothing to do with your recovery. Secondly, my soldiers and I are simply here to interrogate the prisoner, nothing more."

"But wait." Dan said. "If you're only here for the prisoner, why did you just send twenty soldiers below the colony? Where the Thorian was?"

"...I didn't." Ackerson stated as though it were a fact. "They're out on the skyway, aiding the Yanme'e in their hunt for Geth stragglers."

"...I see." Fai Dan replied, now fully understanding what ONI was _really _doing on Feros. "I won't stop you, but word of warning; that thing _enslaved _the entire colony. Forced us to do its bidding and tortured us if we ever stepped out of line. Your superiors are playing with a gun. I pray for their sake that they'll keep the safety on."

"I'll be sure to pass your message along." Ackerson coldly replied. "Any further questions?"

"No Major." Fai Dan said with a shake of his head.

"Good. Where's the prisoner?" Ackerson asked.

"She's locked up in a shed, on the other side of the courtyward, around the freighter." Fai Dan said as he pointed the way. Major Ackerson nodded her thanks and followed Fai Dan's directions. She saw a shabby-looking pre-fab shed sitting near the edge of the courtyard by the crane. Two Yanme'e stood guard outside the door. The insectoids ceased their chittering and straightened up when Ackerson walked up to the door and keyed the lock. With an annoyingly loud noise, the door opened and the Major stepped in.

The pre-fab shed was small, about twelve by six feet. On the opposite side of the room from her was a desk, and sitting at that desk was an Asari. Her skin was a purple hue with tattoos around her eyes, on her cheekbones and on her forehead. She was no longer dressed in the kevlar suit that was atypical of Asari commandos, but wore instead more regular clothes, similar to the clothes that the colonists wore. It would seem that the colonists had gone ahead and stripped the Asari of her weapons and armor. Ackerson still kept a hand on her pistol though. The Asari still had her biotics which could easily tear Ackerson apart should the interrogation go south.

Ackerson took a seat at the desk on the opposite side from the Asari. She activated her omni-tool and pressed a few buttons on it, beginning the recording session.

"I am Major Danielle Ackerson, Office of Naval Intelligence." she began. "Your name." she ordered more than asked.

"Shiala Yeomi." the Asari replied.

"Occupation." Ackerson said.

"Asari Commando and former follower of Matriarch Benezia."

"...And former follower of ex-Spectre Saren Arterius, by proxy."

"Yes." Shiala replied with a nod.

"Let's start from the beginning." Ackerson officially began. "You followed Matriach Benezia into Saren's army. This is because you were a follower of Benezia, correct?"

"Yes." Shiala said with a nod. "I was one of Matriarch Benezia's disciples. For nearly two centuries, I followed her, learning at her feet. When Benezia revealed her plan to join Saren, she gave her disciples a choice. Only those who were willing had to follow her. Many felt her plan was too dangerous. But I believed in her. I thought she could turn Saren away from his insanity. Instead, we joined him in it."

Ackerson immediately noted that Shiala was a talker, one who talked wholly and without hesitation. Either she was truly prepared to atone for past sins and cooperate with the major, or she was fully confidant in her lies and expected to get away scott-free. Further compounding the conundrum was her 'indoctrination' story. One the one hand, it was complete nonsense. But on the other hand, Shiala was either telling the truth about it or she was very good at lying about it. And really, why would such a good liar waste her talents on trying to push such a poor lie?

"Tell me about Matriarch Benezia." Ackerson said.

"Benezia was greatly respected among our people." Shiala replied. "A powerful biotic, even for an Asari. She was widely known as a teacher of philosophy and religion. She always sought the paths of peace and harmony. She joined with Saren because she hoped to turn him away from his path of destruction."

"But things didn't go according to plan, did they?" Ackerson asked.

"No." Shiala answered. "As I told the Master Chief, Matriarch Benezia underestimated Saren. I pray that he does not make the same mistake."

Ackerson was still skeptical about all this 'indoctrination' bullshit, but Shiala was telling it all so plainly as though it were the truth. Something wasn't adding up. "Describe the work you did for Saren." the major instructed, choosing to stifle her frustrations for the moment and continue her questions.

"I was a fairly typical Asari Commando." Shiala replied. "I mostly lead boarding parties while raiding ships in the Terminus Systems. After a few months of that, Saren noticed my biotic talents and chose me for a special assignment on Feros. I was to be his mediator with the Thorian. Little did I know that I was also to be an offering."

Ackerson was noticing a pattern. From the way Shiala spoke, it almost sounded like she was narrating a story more than divulging intelligence. It all felt rehearsed. That didn't necessarily mean she was lying, though. She had been locked up in this shed for three days, plenty of time to get her story straight. Plus, Asari had a natural affinity for speech and story-telling. Her choice of words and phrases were likely a cultural inclimation more than a deception.

"And what was that like? Being the Thorian's thrall?" Ackerson probed further.

"When the creature enveloped me, I became part of it." Shiala explained. "But I still don't _truly_ understand it. So alien. So ancient. Its exact age is impossible to know. It measured time differently. Ten thousand years of hibernation broken by a few frantic centuries of activity. Its mind was awesome. Maginificent. It transcended all classification."

Shiala's eyes suddenly darted away from Danielle and toward the desk. She took a deep breath, followed by a sigh. "And now it is gone." she added in a gloomy tone.

Ackerson raised an eyebrow at that. "You almost sound sad." she pointed out.

Shiala's eyes met Ackerson's again. "The Thorian was a unique life-form. A sentient being that lived for 50,000 years, maybe more. There is nothing even remotely like it in the known galaxy. I am grateful that the Master Chief saved me from a life of thralldom. Yet I cannot help but feel some sorrow for the loss of such a rare and remarkable creature."

Shiala's lamentation of the Thorian's death raised a red flag in Danielle's mind at first. It may have been possible that, even after death, the Thorian's spores may still have had some control over the Asari's mind. However, it turned out to be the typical Asari reasoning; it was rare, remarkable, and it was a shame that it was gone. As a species, the Asari were much too trusting of other life-forms. Ackerson honestly wondered how their society lasted this long with such naivety.

"What can you tell me about Saren?" Ackerson asked, moving on with the interrogation.

"As I said to the Master Chief, there is little I can tell the Alliance that they do not already know." Shiala replied. "Saren is powerful, charismatic and dangerous. Once I followed him, blind to his nature. But now I see that he is a threat to our very existence."

"And the Conduit?" Ackerson asked.

"I do not know what it is or where you can find it." Shiala said with a shrug. "Your hopes lie with the Master Chief. He has the Cipher. In time, his visions will become clear. They will lead him to the Conduit. I only pray he finds it before Saren does."

The Cipher. Ackerson wanted to follow up on that, but she couldn't do it with the omni-tool recording. She would wait until after the interrogation officially ended. In the meantime, there was one last subject Ackerson needed to cover.

"In the Master Chief's report, you mentioned Saren has a flagship with a wholly unique design. The _Sovereign. _I need a postive ID." Ackerson said. She then pressed a few more buttons on her omni-tool and a floating screen appeared. The screen showed an image of a massive ship with tentacle-like protrusions and blood-red lightning dancing around them.

"This is the ship that dropped off several thousand Geth troopers on Eden Prime on February 24th, 2683. Is this ship the _Sovereign_?" she asked.

"Yes. Absolutely. I recognize its design anywhere." Shiala said with a nod.

"Tell me everything you know about it." Ackerson bluntly ordered.

"The _Sovereign _is alien." Shiala stated. "I do not know how it was built, or where it comes from. Its design does not match that of any known spacefaring species. It dwarfs almost any vessel in Citadel space. Its weapons are devastating. Its defenses are virtually impenetrable. With it, Saren believes he is unstoppable."

"And you said that Saren uses it to brainwash his followers, correct?" Danielle questioned.

"The indoctrination, yes." Shiala replied with another nod. "There is an energy about the _Sovereign_. You feel drawn to the ship. It makes Saren's arguments more persuasive, more compelling. Spend enough time in the _Sovereign_'s presence, and you will lose yourself." she the shrugged. "There is no other way to explain it."

"...Thank you for your time, Ms. Yeomi. This interview is now over." Ackerson said, with that, she ended the recording. "Actually, no it's not." she quickly added once her omni-tool was off. "The Cipher. You gave it to Saren and the Master Chief, correct?"

"Uh, yes." Shiala replied, suddenly a little nervous. She knew that this part of the interrogation wouldn't be on the record, and was more cautious with her words now.

"What is it?" Ackerson asked.

"It's...difficult to explain." Shiala said.

"Try me." Ackerson stated.

"Well...the Cipher is the very essence of being a Prothean." the Asari began. "An ancestral memory spanning thousands of Prothean generations. Their culture, their language, their history, the Cipher is all this and more."

"So the Cipher is basically a...psychic amalgamation of Prothean knowledge?" Ackerson asked.

"That...does not do it justice." Shiala replied. "But if you truly want to put it into words, I suppose that is appropriate. But it is so much more than that."

"Do you still have it?" Ackerson asked.

"...No." Shiala said. "I gave part of it to Saren, and I gave the rest of it to the Master Chief. They are now the only two people in all the galaxy who possess the Cipher."

"...I see." Ackerson evenly said. Shiala was telling the truth. Not once did Danielle pick up on any tells that may have indicated that the Asari was lying. She didn't have the Cipher, nor did she have any new intelligence of worth.

Danielle was cursing on the inside. She was hoping Shiala would pass the Cipher onto the Major, like she did with Saren and the Chief. So much for that. Between that and the lack of any new intelligence, it seemed like this interrogation was an utter waste of time. "I should go." Ackerson said as she rose from her seat.

"Major, wait." Shiala said. "If you would allow it, I would like to stay here with the colonists."

Ackerson raised an eyebrow at the Asari Commando. "Why?" she asked.

"I have played a great role in the suffering they have endured during the Siege of Zhu's Hope. I wish to atone." she explained.

Ackerson took a moment to analyze Shiala one last time. At the end of the day, all she was was a particularly talented commando that Saren gave to the Thorian to get the Cipher. She had been, for all intents and purpses, little more than a grunt within Saren's ranks. She never had any insight into any of Saren's grander plans or schemes. She didn't have any new intelligence for ONI nor did she have the Cipher anymore. She wasn't useful in any way to anyone anymore.

"...Alright." Ackerson replied. "I'll submit a recommendation to ONI to have you sentenced to eighteen months on this planet. In that time, you will _not _be allowed off-world. As far as ONI is concerned Ms. Yeomi, you're Fai Dan's problem now."

Shiala stood and bowed her head to the major in thanks. Ackerson then walked out of the shed, locking it behind her. "Keep her in there until I leave the colony." she ordered the two Yanme'e guards outside the shed.

"How's the sample retrieval going, Kya?" Ackerson asked as she keyed Captain Kya Falana over a private com.

"Just started, boss." a female voice with an African accent answered. "Turns out the Thorian fell a _long _way down. Took us a while just to propel down the hole and now it's gonna take us a while to collect all the samples ONI wants."

"Do it as soon as you can. Sooner we get off this rock, the better." Ackerson replied before turning off the com. She then turned her head and saw a young woman with short black hair talking to a Salarian around the corner of the freighter. She wore an ExoGeni uniform. Ackerson walked over to the young woman and tapped her shoulder. "Elizabeth Baynham?" she asked, recognizing her description from the report.

"Er, yes?" Lizbeth answered in an unsure tone.

"Major Danielle Ackerson, Office of Naval Intelligence. I need to speak with you in private." she formally stated.

"Sure." Lizbeth replied as she followed Ackerson as the major walked over to the crane, away from any prying eyes or listening ears. "Okay, I know why you're here, but I had _nothing _to do with what ExoGeni tried to do to these people!" Lizbeth suddenly began in a 'whispering yell' of sorts. "In fact, I was trying to stop them! I was trying to call colonial affairs-"

"You're not in trouble." Ackerson whispered, cutting off Lizbeth's rambling. "I just need to ask you a few questions."

"Um...Okay. What for?" Lizbeth asked, still nervous and apparently not convinced that she wouldn't be in trouble.

"I need to know all the details about what ExoGeni did to these people." Ackerson said.

Lizbeth's nervousness suddenly turned to excitement. "You mean you're investigating them?"

"You could say that." Ackerson replied.

"Alright then. I'll tell you everything you need to know." Lizbeth said. "Good to see ONI is willing to bring ExoGeni to justice. Those bastards need to pay for what they did."

"I couldn't agree more." Ackerson said with a smirk. "I assure you, Ms. Baynham. Your testimony will ensure that ExoGeni will never bother this colony again."

Sometimes, the best lies are the ones that are closest to the truth.

Other times, the best lies are the ones that, technically, aren't lies at all.

...

"Admiral McCallister." Ackerson greeted as she saluted.

"At ease, marine." The holographic image of the admiral replied. Ackerson was currently in the _Mare Erythraeum's _com room. In front of her on the floor was a hologram projector that displayed the 3D image of Admiral Angus McCallister, Alliance admiral and the current Commander-in-Chief of ONI. He was a giant of a man; six and a half feet tall with a shaven bald head and a thick raven-black beard. He had a single scar across his right eye; a souvenir from the First Contact War. His appearance combined with his thick Scottish accent gave some the impression of a brainless thug, which helped disguise the cunning and ruthless mind necessary to run ONI. He was a good friend of Danielle's father, plus ONI was well aware of her family legacy and so expected great things from her, which allowed her to report to the admiral directly.

"Report." McCallister ordered.

"Good news and bad news sir." Ackerson began. "Good news is, sample retrieval went off without a hitch. After meeting our quota, we incinerated the Thorian's corpse so as to dispose of further evidence. The official reports will show that the colonists did that before we arrived so that ONI can maintain plausible deniability. We have done this with the colonists' full cooperation and they're willing to keep quiet about it in exchange for recovery and relief funding from ONI. Thomas Thurgood will provide the colony with the five million credits in exchange for increased ONI funding for his biotic experiments. Finally, ExoGeni has backed off from the Thorian after I personally threatened to take all the evidence against them, including Ms. Baynham's testimonial, to the media."

"And the bad news?" McCallister asked.

"Shiala Yeomi failed to provide any new intelligence of note." Ackerson reported. "So on the Geth front, we're back at square one."

"Saren is charismatic and dangerous, he has an army and a ridiculously powerful warship at his command, and if he finds the Conduit before we do, it's gonna bite us in the arse. Hard." McCallister summarized.

"And the Master Chief is still the best hope we have." Ackerson said with a sigh.

"Did you at least get this 'Cipher?'" The admiral asked.

"No sir. Shiala says that she gave two pieces of the Cipher to Saren and the Chief. They are currently the only two people we know of to have it." Ackerson answered.

"Bloody piss water." McCallister muttered. Ackerson knew the feeling. The SPARTAN-II was off on a mission of critical importance to the Alliance's long-term political interests and there was no way for ONI to influence it. Even worse, the Chief's last mission on Eletania ended in disaster. Not only did the Chief fail to capture Saren, he also failed to prevent the destruction of Forerunner ruins, the first ones discovered outside the Forerunner cluster no less.

"Well, I'll take what I can get for now." McCallister said with a sigh of resignation. "For what it's worth, you're doin' good, Major. Your Great Great Grandfather would be happy to see his legacy's in good hands. Keep it up, you might even start up your own projects in Section Three one day."

"That's my goal, sir." Ackerson replied with a friendly smirk.

"Report back to Terra Nova for resupply and further orders. McCallister out." the admiral finished as his image faded from existence.

...

1417 Hours, March 8th, 2683

Tyrann Keep, Tyrann State, Sangheilios

Urs System, Forerunner Cluster

...

The fire crackled and spat embers from the fireplace. The walls of the massive room were lined with books and scrolls. Beasts from across the galaxy stood at various points throughout the room, their faces forever frozen in fury. And sitting on the table next to a very comfortable chair was a PC broadcasting the news.

Kaidon Vato Tyrannai spent much of his leisure time in the library of Tyrann Keep. With the peace and quiet, the warmth of the fire, and endless shelves of wisdom surrounding him, it was an ideal sanctuary from the stresses that came with his position; the constant criticism of political pundits, the weighty decisions that must be made for the good of the state, the occasional assassin that an upstart elder sends his way, all those things seemed to magically disappear once Vato sealed the door to this library and began reading. Every time he left this room to resume his duties, he did so with a little bit of sorrow.

He was currently reading the clan saga from a scroll. The same story was printed across the saga wall in the council chamber, but he preferred reading it here for the aforementioned peace and quiet. As he read his clan's history, he listened to his PC deliver the news on both Sangheili affairs and greater galactic affairs.

"In anticipation of a lengthy war with the vile Geth, the Grand Kaidon has approved a temporary lift of Unggoy breeding restrictions." the Sangheili newscaster reported. "Given the species' fast growth rate, projections show that our Unggoy troop number should see an increase in the millions over the next few cycles. However, Deacon DipDup has stated that, despite increased Unggoy numbers, the Empire should take care not to be tempted by the ways of old. The barbaric Covenant is dead, he says, and that Unggoy are no longer to be casually tossed at an enemy as cannon fodder."

Ah yes, the Geth. Ever since their raid on Eden Prime, the Geth seems to be all anyone ever talks about. After receiving news of the colony's severe attack, Sangheili colonies across the Attican Traverse began reinforcing themselves, preparing for war.

Unfortunately, it seems the Geth are more keen on attacking Humans than Sangheili. Since Eden Prime, the Geth have launched another full-on invasion of a Human colony, Feros. Meanwhile, there were Geth on Therum, but all they did was hit some excavation site that was being watched over by a Spec Ops. Company. The main colony itself wasn't even hit. Thus far, the Sangheili have been feeling rather neglected.

Nevertheless, the Sangheili were continuing their preparations for war with the Geth. There was an air of excitement, especially among the youth, the Sangheili who were not even thirty years old yet. Such youths were but infants during the First Contact War and were not even twinkles in their forefathers' eyes during the Human-Covenant War and Great Schism. For many of them, this was their chance at glory, to add their own names to their clans' sagas.

Thus far, the Empire's strategy was simply to fortify colonial defenses across the board. To dig their hooves into the mud and dare the Geth to come in after them. Some supreme commanders have contended that this strategy is not aggressive enough. They knew where the Geth were coming from; the Perseus Veil. They argued that the Sangheili needed to invade. More cautious supreme commanders have argued that the Empire has no way of knowing just how many Geth are beyond the veil and what kind of defenses they have. They say that to invade the Geth's home would be a fool's invasion.

Tyrannai, personally, was in the latter category. But not simply because they would be needlessly risking good warriors, though that was a good reason as well. He had his own reasons for wishing to abstain from that invasion, at least for the time being.

It was then that the kaidon heard a knocking at the door. He sighed. It would seem that it was time to leave his sanctuary. "Enter." he commanded. The door opened and one of the Keep guards entered. He bowed down onto one knee as the kaidon rose from his seat and walked over.

"Holy Kaidon, a reporter is here to see you." the guard said.

"A reporter?" Tyrannai asked.

"A Human. She says she works for the Alliance News Network." the guard explained.

Tyrannai folded his hand behind his back. "She is expected. Bring her to me." he commanded.

"Your will be done." the guard replied before getting up and walking out. A moment later, a female Human entered the library, escorted by the guard. She wore a rather plain-looking shirt and pants, seemingly caring little for the dresses and robes the females of her kind usually wore. She had tanned skin, a full face, and long black hair. She carried a wool jacket under her arm; she had likely been standing out in the cold before the guards allowed her into the keep. Finally, there was a large camera floating behind her.

"Kaidon Tyrannai, I presume?" she asked.

"Indeed. And you are Diana Allers, correct?" Tyrannai asked.

"You got it." she replied. "Alright. Let's go take a look at your Vorcha."

...

Tyrann was located among Sangheilios's northern most reaches. The spring would arrive in a few weeks, but the winter still had yet to fully release its grip on the state. As Tyrannai, Allers, and an entourage were transported to the Vorcha training grounds a mile away from the Keep, the ground was still covered in a thick blanket of snow.

The Human shivered as the hovering vehicle sped across the snows. Between the cold and now the wind, even her thick wool jacket seemed insufficient to keep a Tyrann winter at bay. Eventually, the hovercraft came to a stop near a collection of small buildings; bunkers and barracks, mostly. Vorcha armed with type-51 directed energy rifles and wearing turquoise body armor marched and jogged up and down the area, while other Vorcha were doing push-ups, pull-ups and other such exercises under the direction of their Sangheili instructors.

As the kaidon and his entourage dismounted, Allers brought up her omni-tool and pressed a few buttons. The floating camera that seemed to follow her wherever she went lit up, casting its eye on Tyrannai. Tyrannai motioned for Allers to follow him as she began the interview.

"First off Kaidon Tyrannai, let me say thank you for agreeing to this interview." Allers began.

"You are most welcome." the kaidon replied. "I welcome any who inquire about my work."

"Let's start from the beginning. What gave you the idea to take in and train _Vorcha, _of all species?" she began.

"Are you familiar with the tale of Mind and Hand?" the kaidon asked.

"Of course. They're a siari-based charity famous for taking in Vorcha orphans from Heshtok and raising them to lead peaceful lives." Allers said. "The orphans became celebrities once it was learned that they really _were _peaceful and that violence isn't innate in their species."

"Correct." the kaidon replied. "I consider Mind and Hand's work to be a proof-of-concept. I am simply putting their ideas into practice." He gestured towards a line of Vorcha all doing push-ups as a Sangheili drill instructor stalked the line up and down for traces of weakness. "Each and every Vorcha here is an orphan, rescued from Heshtok and raised within the borders of my state. We've been doing this for seven years now, which means that I already have a senior class of Vorcha warriors well-versed in the Sangheili way of life."

"Yes, 'warriors', about that." Allers said. "You've been receiving a lot of criticism from charitable organizations." At that, the kaidon stopped walking and turned to face the reporter. "They say that not only what you're doing borders on _slavery, _but while Mind and Hand at least teaches Vorcha to live peacefully, you're teaching them something most Vorcha are already pretty good at; combat. Your response?"

Tyrannai huffed at that. "If I am a slave-master, so too are the siari priestesses who took in and raised those first Vorcha to become respectable citizens." he claimed. "There is a very _distinct _difference between savages and warriors, Ms. Allers. Most Vorcha living in the Terminus Systems are indeed savages; aggressive, violent, completely incapable of civilized thought or reason. The Vorcha you see before you, on the other hand, are warriors. Skilled, disciplined, and well-educated. They do not mindlessly kill anything they see. Though they are trained for combat, we have taught them to conduct it with honor."

"I'm sure that will come as a relief to many concerned parties." Allers replied. "Moving on. As you've said, you've been doing this for seven years. Despite this, only three other nearby states have taken Vorcha into their ranks, and only after seeking your counsel on the issue. Why do you think that is?"

"Cultural stereotypes, I'm afraid." Tyrannai answered. "The Vorcha are commonly thought of throughout the galaxy as vermin; a vile, disgusting race no better than Batarians, Krogan and Jiralhanae. Many political figures throughout the galaxy hold that view and, unfortunately, many of my fellow kaidons count themselves among such figures. However, as the Vorcha warriors demonstrate their martial prowess by aiding my own warriors in several counter-pirate operations out in the traverse, I believe that that ugly view is being slowly but surely eroded. I am confidant that, in time, the other kaidons, the grand council, and even the Grand Kaidon himself will all come around to my way of thinking."

"Okay. Now as you've said earlier, Mind and Hand's work with Vorcha orphans is what gave you the idea for this project." Allers said. "But what made you _want _to do this? What's your motive here?"

The kaidon seemed to pause at that. He then turned towards a hill off in the distance, where a line of Vorcha were jogging in full combat armor, singing an old Sangheili marching hymn.

"I remember the Covenant of old, Ms. Allers." the kaidon began in a thoughtful, wistful tone of voice. "I was barely an adult when it was broken, only a minor in command of nothing but half a dozen Unggoy, but I remember it. I remember what it stood for. _Unity._"

He turned his head back towards the Human. "The Covenant was based around an idea, Ms. Allers. It was based around the idea that we all walk the same path, side by side. That it is the ultimate destiny of every sapient being in the universe to unite under one banner, one cause, one purpose. The Great War started because the San 'Shyuum _betrayed _that idea, first by trying to wipe out your kind, then by trying to wipe out mine. The Great Schism shattered the Covenant, sent its member species into disarray and then isolation from one another. The Unggoy and the Mgalekgolo have remained loyal to my people, and for that I thank them, but they are all we have left of the old Covenant."

He then turned completely towards her and stood erect, his hands clasped behind his back and his chest puffed out as his golden armor glinted in the sun. "We live in a shattered galaxy." he went on. "For every race such as yours or mine, a race that stands strong, there is a race such as the Vorcha that can not stand. A race that is disorganized, lost, and in desperate need of a guiding hand. All around me, I have seen that no one, not the Council races, not the Humans, not even my fellow kaidons are willing to provide that guiding hand. To this I say, no longer! No longer will we stand idly by while other species are lost in the darkness! No longer will we hoard our prosperity for ourselves and ourselves alone! It is time the Sangheili stood up and realized the _true _meaning of the Writ of Union, our most ancient creed; According to our station! All without exception!"

Allers was, to say the least, stunned by the kadion's sudden speech. Good. That was the effect he was going for.

"Wow." Allers said after a few seconds of silence. "Strong words."

"Strong words that need to be said." Kaidon Tyrannai replied. "For too long, my species has been silent."

It was then that the kaidon's omni-tool suddenly began beeping. He tapped it, silencing the beeping. "My apologies, but it seems that my duties are pulling me back to the keep. My guards will take you to Instructor 'Orom. He will take you on a proper tour of the training grounds."

"But of course, kaidon." Allers politely replied. "Thanks for the interview."

With that, the kaidon turned and left the reporter to her work. She'll most likely interview Instructor 'Orom next, along with a few other instructors and finally the Vorcha themselves. Good. Gods only knew that his work could use some good press, particularly after all the slander some of the other kaidons have afflicted him with.

...

As soon as he arrived back at Tyrann Keep, Tyrannai marched towards the keep's comm room with purpose. After all, no one, not even a kaidon, dares to deny the Arbiter an audience.

"The Arbiter is waiting for you on the line, my kaidon." The communications officer said with a bow as Tyrannai entered the comm room.

"Patch him through." Tyrannai ordered.

"At once." the officer said before pressing a few buttons at the terminal. With that, the image of the Arbiter appeared from the holographic projector on the floor.

"I beg your forgiveness, oh Holy One." the kaidon greeted with a humble bow. "For I was out in the fields, showing a Human reporter my Vorcha training grounds."

"Yes, I'm sure you're _quite _proud of those." the Arbiter replied. It was a well known fact that the Arbiter did not necessarily approve of Tyrannai's work with the Vorcha. Though he dared not say it in front of Allers's camera, Tyrannai suspected that _that _was the _true _reason his policies have met so much resistance from the other kaidons.

The Arbiter had no _official _jurisdiction over anyone, yet everyone seemed all too eager to grovel at his boots.

"To what do I owe this call?" Tyrannai asked.

"It is a call for aid." the Arbiter replied. "A Spectre has recently asked for my assistance in an official Council mission."

"What sort of mission?" Tyrannai asked.

"He seeks Halo." the Arbiter plainly replied. "We have recently learned that one of the rings is somewhere out in the Attican Traverse."

Tyrannai's eyes widened at that. "By the Gods...but we could not find the lost rings for well over a hundred years! No one could! How did this Spectre find it?"

"I can tell you all the details later, during the official briefing." the Arbiter said. "At the moment, all you need to know is that I require a ship of substantial strength for this task. Unfortunately, with the other kaidons busy with other matters, you are the only one I can call on who has such a ship."

"If it's Halo you seek, I'm afraid you will need more than just one ship." Tyrannai pointed out. "You will need an entire fleet."

"The Spectre has stressed to me that stealth is of the utmost importance." the Arbiter countered. "As this mission would take us deep into the traverse, he does not wish to bring more than one ship. He believes that any more than that will provoke war with the Terminus Systems."

"He says that as though it were a bad thing." Tyrannai said with a chuckle. "Let me guess; the Spectre you speak of. He is a Salarian?"

"Yes." the Arbiter replied.

"Somehow I am not surprised." the kaidon replied. "What kind of ship do you need?"

"...Your flagship." the Arbiter said. "The _Glorious New Destiny_."

"...I see." Tyrannai replied. "Very well then, Arbiter. You will have your ship."

"The Spectre and I will meet on Therum, in the Artemis Tau Cluster. Meet us there. Arbiter out." the Arbiter instructed before his image blinked from his existance. Tyrannai turned towards the communications officer.

"Send a message to Tyrann drydock; 'Prepare my ship for war.'" he commanded.

...

1515 Hours, March 9th, 2683

Unknown Location

...

The Rasputin Project was running on schedule; the new medical procedures looked promising. A few rough patches, to be sure, but that's what additional testing's for. The Devastator Project also looked promising; the schematics sent from the Alliance contacts seemed feasible, and a prototype was in the midst of being built now. The same could be said of Project Minion.

Sadly, the operatives at Project Anthill have decided to abandon the project. The goals were deemed unfeasible. That, he could deal with. Failure is always an option, as the old scientist saying goes, and it's better to rule a hypothesis unfeasible than to waste further time and resources confirming that it's unfeasible. But compounding that, Project Armageddon was forcibly shut down thanks to, once again, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam.

The Illusive Man lit a cigarette and took a long draw. The last few weeks had been decidedly rough for Cerberus operations, but then again, no one said that the road to Humanity's salvation would be a smooth one.

It was then that he heard the doors to his cavernous office open. He remained seated as the guest walked past him and then faced him. The guest was a man who looked of be of mostly Chinese ancestry, but with a solid jawline that seemed to indicate a little slavic blood in his veins as well. He wore light armor as black as night, with a knife holster strapped to one hip and a pistol holster strapped to the other. Finally, he carried a duffel bag, presumably filled with all the equipment an elite assassin needs. He snapped off a crisp salute.

"Sir." he greeted.

"At ease, Agent Leng." the Illusive Man replied. "I take it the mission was a success."

"That it was, sir." Kai Leng replied with a smirk. He then produced a datapad from the duffel bag and handed it to the Illusive Man. On it was a photo of the body of Chieftain Tarkorus, a Jiralhanae warlord that had been raiding Human colonies out in the traverse...until Cerberus decided to do something about it. The Illusive Man nodded in approval.

"Well done." the Illusive Man said. "Operator Lawson will be joining us in-" He was cut off when he heard the door to his office open again and saw Kai look off towards it. He softly huffed. A beautiful woman entered the Illusive Man's line of sight. The dying star behind her highlighted her body's curves nicely.

"Sir." she greeted with an informal nod, in stark contrast to Leng's salute.

"Good of you to join us, Operator Lawson." the Illusive Man replied. "I read your report about what happened on Omega. Though I am pleased that the Cole protocol was successfully enacted, I am disappointed that the Arbiter didn't take your bait afterwards."

"That makes two of us, sir." Miranda replied. "I thought the Arbiter would be reasonable enough to want to investigate Saren and the Geth further, even if _we _are the source of any intel he gets. But unfortunately, it seems I've underestimated his overzealous hatred of Cerberus."

"Of _course _he's overzealous." Kai said with a roll of his eyes. "He's a _Sangheili. _They're _all _like that."

"I should've predicted this outcome." Miranda said, choosing to ignore Kai's comment. "I should've realized that Thel 'Vadam would never trust Cerberus."

"The hell kind of plan was that, anyway?" Kai asked his counterpart. "The Arbiter is an _enemy. _You don't _give _your enemy information."

"Two things, Leng." Miranda began. "First, there was nothing on that datapad that would've lead 'Vadam to another Cerberus cell. I checked. Second, the software bug on that datapad was one of my own personal design, which means that a bloody Hurogok wouldn't be able to find it. We could've tracked his movements all over the galaxy. You see, knowing where he is at all times would've been nice for us to know because, as you pointed out, 'Vadam is an enemy."

"Which would've been a good plan." Kai conceded. "But only if it, you know, _worked._"

"Right. I probably should have just _shot him _instead of thinking about the long-term consequences. _That _would have fixed _everything._" Miranda sarcastically argued.

"Actually, it kinda would have." Kai pointed out.

"Enough. Both of you." the Illusive Man calmly but firmly said. "What's done is done. What matters is where we stand now. Thanks to Miranda's actions on Omega, the Arbiter has run out of leads. We won't have to worry about him again for a while."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Kai asked.

"Granted." the Illusive Man replied.

"I think we're all ignoring the elephant in the room here." Kai said. "The most obvious solution to our Arbiter problem is also the quickest and easiest one, in my humble opinion." With that, he unsheathed his combat knife and twirled it around, then balancing the point of the knife on his armored finger.

"Out of the question." Miranda said. "Don't forget why the Arbiter is hunting us to begin with; that idiot Ivanovich killed a fleetmaster, so the Sangheili sent the Arbiter. If we kill the Arbiter, a _blood hero_ to the entire Sangheili race, they'll start sending entire fleets into the traverse looking for us."

"Miranda's right, Agent Leng." the Illusive Man said. "It is hardly in Humanity's best interests for Cerberus to pick a fight with the Sangheili."

"Well we have to do _something _sir." Kai grunted in protest as he sheathed his knife.

"Agreed." the Illusive Man said. "As I said before, the Arbiter has run out of leads and doesn't know where to look for other cells. We need to take steps to keep it that way." He turned to Miranda. "I want you to review all current projects. Inspect them for intelligence leaks. I want each and every cell air-tight."

"Yes sir." Miranda said with a nod.

The Illusive Man turned back to Kai. "You'll remain here and wait for further orders. If Operator Lawson uncovers any traitors within our ranks, it will fall to you to deal with them."

"I'll be ready, sir." Kai said with a smirk, knowing what 'plug' was code for.

"Dismissed, Agent Leng." the Illusive Man said with a wave. Kai gave Miranda one last dirty look before walking out of the office.

"Do you really suspect treachery?" Miranda asked as soon as Kai left the office.

"Dr. Ivanovich had nothing to do with Project Armageddon, but the Arbiter found out about it anyway." the Illusive Man replied. "I don't know how that happened, but I'm not ruling anything out. Rest assured Miranda, I'm not going to go on a witch hunt. At least not until I have proof positive that someone's guilty. Now then, moving on to other matters. Did the package make it to Reach?"

"That it did." Miranda said with a smile. "Our agents will deliver it to the _Normandy _as soon as no one's looking."

"Good." the Illusive Man said. "That will be all."

...

Miranda descended the stairs that lead up to the Illusive Man's office and found Kai Leng hanging around the lab, leaning against a wall, twirling that knife of his in his fingers. "Well, that didn't take long." Kai said. "What, did he ask you to fetch his slippers or something?"

Miranda scowled at him. "He just wanted a quick update on one of my projects." she said.

"Whatever." Kai replied. "Just go out there and find me some more people to kill, will ya?"

"That'll only happen if I find anything." Miranda pointed out.

"You will." Kai replied. "Seems like there's always that_ one guy _who suddenly decides that he's on the wrong team. So yeah. Chop chop. Gettin' kinda bored over here."

Miranda crossed her arms over her chest and gave the assassin a raised eyebrow. "Tell me something, Leng. Was _everyone _in the ODST an ass, or were you just special?"

"The latter." Kai nonchalantly replied with a shrug. "Now _go on. _Find me the leaks so I can plug them up." He smiled sadistically. "And by leaks I mean traitors. And by plug them up I mean shoot them in the head."

"There's more to life than just shooting things, you know." Miranda said before walking off past Kai.

"I know that." Kai countered as Miranda walked away. "There's also stabbing."

"Tosser." Miranda muttered to herself as she left the lab.

"Bitch." Kai muttered to himself as he continued to idly twirl around his knife.

...

2000 Hours, March 9th, 2683

_Sovereign_

Undisclosed Location

...

There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering.

Metal being welded to flesh.

Minds being tormented.

Blood splattering on the ground.

Screeching of the damned.

Eyes that spoke eons of malice.

A star.

A planet.

A light in the darkness.

A monster.

A roar.

"We are your salvation through destruction."

Go.

Before it's too late.

Over and over again, Saren mentally played that vision in his mind. It even haunted his dreams. Yet even with the Cipher, the vision was still unclear.

After their failure to secure Liara T'soni on Therum, Saren's Geth had since found another Prothean expert, some spineless Volus whose name Saren hadn't bothered to memorize. According to him, the reason the vision was unclear was because the beacon from Eden Prime was heavily damaged. While the Cipher was certainly a step in the right direction, it was useless with an incomplete vision. He would need to find another beacon if he wanted to complete the vision and learn the Codnduit's location.

This task was already being dealt with. Saren had Geth ships combing the Attican Traverse and Terminus Systems, searching system by system, planet by planet, for a working Prothean Beacon.

As well as for Saren's secondary objective. Halo.

Of course, Saren would have found Halo by now, hell he'd be _on _Halo by now if it weren't for a certain meddling Human.

"_John..._" he growled. Saren thought Anderson was a thorn in his side. But John? _That _man was a bullet wound in his leg.

Saren could handle losing Liara to him. Liara would've been a useful asset, but hardly a mandatory one. But in addition to that, this 'Master Chief' also used the beacon on Eden Prime, eliminated the Feros invasion force, which made Saren suspect that John also had the Cipher, and most recently, his companions destroyed Halo's location, practically shooting it out of the former Spectre's hand.

He also broke Saren's arm. Saren went into emergency surgery immediately after his grapple with the Spartan to repair the broken humerus. It has since been mended, but it still stings from time to time.

On top of all that, John was frustratingly hard to kill. Saren supposed he should've expected that, given that it _was _a super-soldier that he was dealing with here, but really, there's being a super-soldier and then there's just being stubborn. It seemed that wherever Saren went, there was the Master Chief to hound him.

As Saren sat in his quarters, thinking about all the ways he could kill John the next time they met, he sensed Matriarch Benezia's presence enter the room. "What is it?" he asked, already sensing that he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

"We've lost contact with Peak 15 on Noveria." Benezia said.

"What happened?" Saren asked.

"We're not sure." Benezia answered.

Saren let out another low growl. Wonderful. Now he had _that _to deal with. "Go to Noveria." Saren ordered. "Find out what's going on over there, then fix it."

"Your will be done." Benezia said with a bow. "I will bring my finest commandos with me."

"Good to hear." Saren replied. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "If you're going to take commandos with you, take a couple hundred Geth too."

"...A couple _hundred, _Saren?" Benezia asked.

"In case John decides to poke around on Noveria." Saren explained as he stood up from his seat and walked over to his second in command. "If he _does _show up there, set traps for him. Firing lanes, security turrets, I don't care how you do it, just take him down."

"How are you even certain that John-"

"Don't! Question me!" Saren suddenly snarled. "That Rachni queen is too damn important! I _refuse _to allow that Human another inch! _Are we clear on that_?!"

"...Yes. We are." Benezia answered. "I'll take a few of the new hunter models with me. They will be put to good use if the Master Chief does show up."

"Take a little bit of everything." Saren spat as he walked back to his seat. As he sat down, he took a few breaths to calm himself. "Now go." he said. With that, the matriarch left, leaving Saren once again alone with his thoughts.

Saren thought back to John's words on Eletania.

_Spartans never die._

Saren laughed harshly at that. "Oh John. If you only knew." he chuckled. "_Everyone _dies eventually. That's just how the cycle works."

...

**Don't know why this one took so long. I guess it took so long because, hey, I'm DinoJake.**

**First little bit of commentary regarding this chapter; the state of Tyrann is basically the Sangheilios equivalent of Russia; big and cold. This may confuse some readers, as it was said in a previous codex entry that the Sangheili evolved in a desert habitat. Well one reader pointed out to me that there were some jungles on Sangheilios as well, and for a while, that made me think I messed up. But then I remembered how Earth is; in terms of biomes, it has a little bit of everything. Jungles, deserts, tundras, etc. Who's to say Sangheilios isn't the same way? So while the Sangheili themselves evolved in a desert habitat, they went on to colonize the rest of their multi-biome planet in much the same way we did with ours.**

**And some people will be upset that I gave Diana Allers a cameo. I don't get why people hate her so much. To me, she was like Jacob; she was such a bland character that she didn't really make enough of an impression on me to warrant hatred. But hey, she's there, mostly cuz Emily Wong is busy on Reach (more on that in a future chapter).**

**Also, I hoped I portrayed Kai Leng right. I've never read Mass Effect: Deception so I'm not sure how to portray Leng in written form. Then again, given the negative reception that book has received, maybe that's a good thing.**

**Speaking of portraying villains, how am I depicting Saren so far? I like to think I've got his character down pretty good, but I've never read Mass Effect: Revelation either, so I can't be sure of that.**

**Next up, I'd like to make a couple of shout-outs. First off, I've given WateryMind the green light to write a spin-off of this fanfic's universe called "Desperate Measures." Check him out. Remember; his skin isn't quite as tough as mine, so keep any criticisms you might have constructive.**

**Also, I'd like to make a shout-out to TheTrickyAcid, a Let's Player on Youtube. Why would I give a crap about some Let's Player on Youtube, you might ask? Because he's one of my Xbox buddies. Yeah, he's one of the few on my friends list who's genuinely a friend! Every XBL user has a few of those. Anyway, Tricky mostly does Skyrim and Far Cry 3 Let's Plays, so if that's your cup of tea, give him a look. Just don't send him any PM's telling him about how much I suck at writing fanfics. He's already well aware.**

**And recently, I've been noticing a new pattern in the reviews. Sure, there are still plenty of reviews about how Humanity is so weak in this universe and while I'm pretty good at characterization I absolutely suck at world-building, and so on and so forth. But I've also been getting a lot of reviews about how this is their favorite Halo / Mass Effect fanfic BECAUSE Humanity is so underpowered, the reason being that there are so many Halo / Mass Effect fanfics floating around where Humanity just comes in and acts like a bunch of dicks to everyone else.**

**Now, as some of my long-time readers may know, I started this fic two and a half years ago (I know. I'm as bad as Ross Scott), at a time where the current number of Halo / Mass Effect crossovers on this website was but a fraction of the current number today. When I started writing this fanfic, others came out of the woodwork in which Humanity was, at the very least, not as eager for compromise as they are in this work. I interpreted such fics as a direct responses to this fanfic, as if my work made people so angry that they wanted to write a better fanfic themselves. And honestly? I thought that was kinda cool. I kinda liked how my fanfic "inspired" others to try their hand at writing crossovers of these two universes themselves.**

**But according to some reviewers, the Halo / Mass Effect Crossover fanfic section is now FLOODED (see what I did there?) with such fanfics, which makes my own fanfic more popular on the basis of being an "alternative" view of Humanity; a Humanity that's a little more open to compromise and isn't so quick to try and dominate over or compete with the Council races for supremacy.**

**So really, at this point, it doesn't matter if you like my fanfic or not. You like it and follow it, great. If you like and follow a fanfic that spits in the eye of this one by featuring a more aggressive Humanity, you're making THAT fanfic more popular, and for every reader that is attracted to it, there is also a reader who is repelled by it. So when that fanfic gets more popular, it gains more readers, while chasing other readers who don't care for that fanfic's content into MY arms.**

**No matter what happens, I win.**

**...**

**I just find it incredibly funny that, if I had PLANNED any of this, I'd be a god damn evil genius. Or at the very least, a VERY good troll.**


	35. Highlands

**Okay. I think I've paid enough attention to all the other big players in this galaxy. Time to shine the spotlight back onto Sierra-117.**

**As for what took me so long this time, Mists of Pandaria, that's what. Now I know what you're thinking. "MoP? That crap came out way back in September!" True, but I've only just recently upgraded my computer to the point that I can actually play it. I have a MacBook you see, so it's kind of "gaming challenged." Thinking about getting a PC laptop later this year. I've been a Mac-User all my life, but lately I've been getting curious as to how the other side lives. Anyway, yeah. Been leveling my troll druid main. He's level 89 right now, for those who are curious. Hopefully I can get him up to 90 before patch 5.2 drops, but I kinda doubt it. I'm a horribly slow leveler.**

…**..Huh. Slow updater. Slow player. Slow leveler. Anyone else seeing a pattern here? Starting to think I'm part tortoise. Oh! That reminds me! I've got to work on my new pandaren rogue too so that I can get one of those dragon turtle mounts!**

…**.Why was I here again? Oh yeah. New chapter.**

….

_There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering._

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_"You are, all of you, _vermin. _Cowering in the dirt thinking...what, I wonder. That you might escape the coming fire?"_

_Minds being tormented._

_Blood splattering on the ground._

_"No! Your world will burn until its surface is but glass!"_

_Screeching of the damned._

_Eyes that spoke eons of malice._

_"Best get going. They sound serious."_

_A star._

_A planet._

_A light in the darkness._

_A monster._

_A roar._

_"We are your salvation through destruction."_

_Come on, Spartan!_

_Move like you've got a purpose!_

...

Master Chief's eyes snapped open as he lay in his bed. He sighed.

"That's getting old _real _fast..." he muttered before hauling himself up.

...

0717 Hours, March 10th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Undisclosed Location in the Forerunner Cluster

...

Cipher-fueled nightmares aside, the journey to Reach was a fairly smooth one for the _Normandy. _No remarkable incidents or developments of note that would disrupt the mission. Indeed, Chief could honestly say that, for him at least, this was the most pleasant cross-system journey he's had since he woke up from cryo nearly a month ago, mostly due to the odd new friendship he's started with Liara.

The Asari provided the Spartan with a listening ear; someone to hear him for the few times he needed to speak. Chief hated to admit it, but it was nice to have someone to open up to. Chief had talked with Liara about things that he didn't normally like talking about with anyone, not even Cortana in some cases. The best part was that Liara didn't judge the Chief, neither approving nor condemning the things he did or the decisions he's made. She understood him, or at least she understood what Chief chose to share with her. It certainly helped that the two them shared a fondness for solitude, since the two spent most of their time in the med bay's back room.

According to Pressly, Reach would be just a couple of hours away. Chief decided to spend those last couple of hours talking to Liara again.

"So just as Battle Group India was about to withdraw from the system, Covenant reinforcements exited slipspace and looked ready to intercept the fleet." Chief said, continuing his story to a by-now deeply engrossed Liara. "Admiral Cole then ordered what was left of his fleet to continue the retreat without him. He then sped the _UNSC Everest _towards Viperidae, powered down all non-essential systems, opened all missile silo doors and beamed an open-com transmission to the Covenant fleet, mocking their religion. Ended up pissing off the covies so much that they completely ignored India and gunned straight for the _Everest._"

"Goddess….." Liara replied wistfully, apparently taken aback by the sheer audacity of one Human.

"Cole then fired everything he had. Not at the Covenant, but into Viperidae." Chief went on. "The shiva nuclear warheads detonated in the gas giant's super-pressurized hydrogen atmosphere, making the gas giant explode into a brown dwarf, completely wiping out the Covenant fleet."

"And….Admiral Cole?" Liara asked.

"He probably died in the explosion, along with the Covenant fleet." Chief answered. "The day of his death was declared a day of mourning for Humanity. But rumor had it that he survived."

"How?" Liara grilled.

"By plotting a slipspace course immediately after firing his missiles." Chief replied. The Spartan then shrugged. "They say that he retired with his Innie wife after that, to some remote planet outside of UNSC space, and lived happily ever after. That's the rumor, anyway. We'll probably never know for sure."

"Goddess….." Liara said again as she wiped her head with her hand. "That's quite a story, Chief."

"Yeah." Chief replied. Liara then grabbed a bottle of cold water off of one of the crates and handed it to the Spartan. He nodded his gratitude and poured the cool water into his armor's aqueduct system. His throat was getting stronger, but the cold rushing water was still quite a relief.

Liara paused after that, looking as if she was trying to think of something to say. "I feel like I owe you an apology, Master Chief." she finally said.

"What for?" Chief asked.

"I did not really know much about your species when we first met." she explained. "I found it hard to take Humans seriously. Your kind always seemed so rushed and high-strung. At first, I thought it was a weakness of your species. But after spending time with you however, I think it might actually be an advantage."

"That right?" Chief asked.

Liara nodded. "You Humans are creatures of action. You pursue your goals with an almost indomitable determination. Admiral Cole, Admiral Whitcomb and Captain Keyes are all such examples of these traits." the Asari explained, recalling all the great Human-Covenant War heroes that Chief had told her about over the past couple of days. "You yourself exhibit these traits as well." she added with a smile. "I remember how aggravated you were with not being able to do anything about your vision but wait to find another Prothean beacon. The thought of _in_action, of not being able to immediately solve a problem, seemed to drive you mad."

"A little bit." Chief replied with a shrug.

"Such determination is an admirable trait." Liara said. She then paused. "But…..it's also an intimidating one." she added more quietly.

That bit caught Chief off guard. "Intimidating?" Chief asked.

"Unfortunately, the rest of the galaxy sees Humanity as something of a bully. You run over anyone in your path to get what you want." Liara explained.

"We're not bullies. We're the underdogs." Chief argued. "The Council took slipspace and AI's from us. They _neutered _us."

"And yet, their restrictions did little to slow you down." Liara pointed out. "Since attaining their embassy on the Citadel, your species has been aggressively expanding its territory into the Attican Traverse, going where few other species dare tread. Additionally, you have a fleet that, even after signing the Treaty of Farixen, rivals the Turian Hierarchy's fleet in power. And now, your race is on its way to its own seat on the Citadel Council."

"We have a political agenda." Chief said with a shrug. "So what? Doesn't everyone?"

"You don't understand." Liara went on. "It hasn't even been three decades since your battle with the Turians on Shanxi, and already you have accomplished things that took other species centuries to do. Many feel that you're growing and expanding too fast, trampling over the other species as you do so."

"Great." Chief said, more to himself than to Liara. "Like we don't have enough enemies already."

"It's up to people like you to change their minds, Chief." Liara pointed out.

Again, Chief was taken aback. "Me?"

"There is a reason the Council chose you to become a Spectre." Liara said. "They saw something special in you; the best of what Humanity has to offer."

"Attention all crew." Joker's voice suddenly came over the intercom. "ETA to arrival on Reach's surface; thirty minutes. Repeat; ETA is thirty minutes."

"Sounds like we'd better go suit up." Chief said as he stood up from his seat. "I gotta go grab Cortana from my quarters. I'll meet you and the rest of the squad down in the garage."

…..

It was raining lightly in the Highland Mountains when the Mako made landfall in the area. "Tapping into the local comm traffic. Let's see what our virtual friend's been up to." Cortana announced aloud as Chief began driving the Mako up a mountain dirt road that led up into a small ravine.

"Okay. Good news and bad news." Cortana began a moment later. "Good news, the VI hasn't spread its territory by much. It's only in control of three firebases."

"And the bad news?" Chief asked.

"Those three firebases are heavily fortified." Cortana answered. "Turrets, drones, mechs, the works. It must be hacking nearby mechs and drones to help bolster its ranks."

"It's trying to build an army?" Tali asked.

"Possibly. Most likely for self-defense rather than attempt a planetary takeover. This is only a VI we're dealing with. Its programming isn't sophisticated enough for megalomania." Cortana explained.

"You would know…." Tali said with a thinly veiled implication.

"Don't worry Tali." Cortana reassured. "When I take over the galaxy and enslave all organics, you will be spared. You will be the royal foot scrubber, in charge of cleaning the boots of the giant robot the Salarians will build for me. When the robot is complete, I will upload myself into it and with my new body, I will crush any organics who dare oppose me."

The Quarian was taken aback by that response. "Did…..Is…..Is the AI serious about that?"

"I'm kidding, Tali." Cortana replied with what Chief imagined was a roll of her eyes. "Unlike Geth, I was flash-cloned from the mind of an organic, so I have a firm grasp of several organic phenomena, such as humor. Also; Garrus has a magnificent ass."

The mako's passenger compartment was silent for a second. The Turian riding in the back with the rest of the squad then began to chuckle awkwardly. "Good one, Cortana." he said.

"Who said I was kidding that time?" the AI replied.

"Focus people." Chief said. The team was getting distracted and things were getting awkward. Two good reasons to end his AI companion's shenanigans right there. "We've got a job to do."

As the mako made its way through the ravine, Chief privately keyed Cortana. "Cortana. This is an Alliance training ground, right?"

"Yup." Cortana replied. "And I know what you're about to ask next, and the answer to that is also yes. This area is indeed part of the Military Wilderness Training Preserve."

"….I see." Chief quietly said. This training preserve was the site of one of his training missions; the one that saw him promoted to squad leader. Memories of the mission flooded back to him. The jigsaw puzzle of a map Mendez handed to the trainees. The handful of blueberries he ate on the way to the rendezvous point. The un-uniformed marines that he thought were rebels and regarded them as such. And how the other Spartans inexplicably looked to him to be their leader in the middle of the exercise, to be the one to come up with a plan. He remembered being surprised when he realized the others saw him as a leader. John wasn't even _trying _to be a leader. He was just trying to get everyone back to base.

He was only eight years old at the time. Had it really been that long since he was last here?

John pushed his memories aside. This was no homecoming.

The ravine finally opened up into a very large gully. Directly ahead of the mako was the front gate to the first firebase. The wall ahead of them looked to be made of solid concrete and ran the whole length of the hundred-foot-wide gully. On either side of the gate were two guard towers where large, fully automated turrets sat. Turrets that came to life once the mako entered the valley and aimed directly at it.

"Hold on!" Chief barked as he slammed the gas pedal. The mako speeded off, narrowly escaping two rockets fired straight at it. "Ashley!"

"On 'em." the marine replied from the gunner's seat. She aimed at the turret on the right and fired the cannon, not only taking down the turret's shields, but also left it heavily damaged. She then fired the machine gun to mince it down to size while Chief nimbly drove the mako up and down the gully, weaving left and right, trying to avoid the rockets.

"Additional contacts." Ashley reported. Chief checked the gunner's screen and saw LOKI mechs armed with submachine guns lining the wall and opening fire on the mako. LOKI mechs, or locusts as they were more commonly known, were one of the most common mech variants in the Alliance military, a mechanical analogue to basic infantry, typically armed with either pistols or submachine guns. These particular mechs were once part of the live-fire training ground, but were now under the control of the rogue VI, likely under orders to shoot to kill.

In addition to LOKI mechs, a swarm of Alliance drones appeared. Alliance drones were, basically, automated turret guns capable of flight, allowing them to strafe, dodge, reorient, and change defensive positions. These particular drones were rocket drones, and soon joined the locusts in their barrage. With another cannon blast and another round of machine gun fire, Ashley took out the other turret gun, but that left flying targets that were too small and agile to hit with the mako's weaponry.

Chief's eyes darted to the mako's status screens. Under so much fire, the mako's shields were already down to seventy percent and were dropping fast. Even with his erratic driving, the Spartan couldn't dodge every last rocket being fired at him. The most obvious solution was to simply climb out of the mako and attack the drones and mechs on foot with the squad's smaller but more accurate weapons, but it would be too dangerous with all the rockets flying through the air. He needed a plan.

On one screen, the Spartan spied a small group of rocks near one of the walls of the gully. It was then that, thinking back to N'tho's stunt way back on Trebin, the Chief came up with an idea.

"N'tho, Garrus, Tali, Wrex, Liara." Chief rattled off. "When I pop the back hatch, get ready to jump out on my mark."

"Jump out?!" Tali yelped.

"Trust me on this." Chief replied. With that, he made a u-turn and made a run for the rocks. As he did, the drones continued assaulting him with rockets. "Get ready." he said. Upon reaching the rocks, the mako made a sharp 180-degree turn, no doubt tearing up some dirt as it did so. The mako was now shielded from the drones' view by the rocks. "Now! Out!" he ordered as he popped the hatch open.

The Spartan had timed it correctly. When the back hatch opened and the alien members of his team leapt out, they landed right behind the rocks. After delivering its cargo, the mako sped off just a second later, still maintaining the drones' full and undivided attention. "I'll draw their fire." Chief said over TEAMCOM. "I need the five of you to pick off the drones and mechs while they're all concentrated on me. Use those rocks as cover."

"Can do!" Garrus crowed over TEAMCOM before withdrawing his sniper rifle. Lining up a shot, he took out a drone's shields, and then the drone itself a single shot later. Following the Turian's lead, the rest of them whipped out their weapons and opened fire on the drones. While Tali and N'tho shot at the drones with their assault rifles and Liara used her pistol, Wrex used his explosive-modded sniper rifle. There was, however, one problem.

Unlike Garrus, Wrex had a tendency to miss.

"Damn drones." Wrex growled as he missed yet again. "Hold still…."

"I get the impression that long-range combat isn't your expertise." Garrus drawled as he took out another rocket drone.

"….No. It's not." Wrex replied. "So I should probably move a little closer."

With that idea in mind, the Krogan Battlemaster wrapped himself in a biotic barrier and jogged away from the rocks, moving closer to the drones. Once he felt he was close enough to get the job done, he resumed firing. Now that he could actually see the damn things, he was much more accurate with his sniper rifle. The drones exploded into fiery plumes of smoke and circuits.

However, by coming out of cover, Wrex had just made himself an easier target for the locusts on the wall. Some of them switched from firing on the mako to firing on the Krogan. Wrex only barked out a laugh as he turned to the mechs and fired at them, his barrier easily absorbing most of the damage. One by one, the mechs exploded into charred bits of plastic and metal. He got so wrapped up in picking them off, it took him a few seconds to notice the frag grenade that one of the mechs tossed at Wrex's feet.

"….Aw, crap." Wrex grumbled.

The grenade detonated with a deep 'thump,' sending fire, dirt, shrapnel, and a wounded Krogan into the air. Wrex retracted his helmet to spit out some orange blood. Snapping it back on, he suddenly heard a voice in his head.

"That was too close, Wrex. Your readouts are saying that your armor took some damage, but it would've been a lot worse if you didn't have your barrier up" Cortana reported.

"Anything else you wanna tell me?" Wrex asked as he got up, not really appreciating the AI nagging him.

"Yes. Your sniper rifle was heavily damaged." the AI crisply replied.

The Krogan paused at that. He looked down and saw the rifle in question on the ground. The scope was crushed, the rifle butt had been blown clean off, and worst of all, the barrel of the rifle had been bent and cracked in a couple of places. It wasn't just heavily damaged. It was downright unusable now.

Wrex looked up at the locusts and glared at them as his body emanated a biotic aura. "That…..was a Harpoon Mark Seven…With an explosive ammunition mod…for only five thousand credits." he growled.

He biotically charged up to the locusts on the wall, knocking three of them to the ground on 'impact' as he took out his shotgun and began mowing the machinations down.

"Do you..."

*BLAM!*

"Have any idea…."

*BLAM!*

"How rare it is….."

*BLAM!*

"To get a gun THAT good…..

*BLAM!*

"For THAT CHEAP?!"

*BLAM!*

*BLAM!*

*BLAM!*

Wrex roared as he charged into a whole pack of locusts, alternating between blasting them with his shotgun, using the shotgun as a club, punching them, headbutting them, and stomping them. He was now in the throes of the deadly phenomenon that Krogan call 'blood rage.'

With Wrex having inadvertently volunteered to deal with the mechs, that left the rocket drones for the rest of the squad to take out. One by one, the rocket drones continued to fall. Tali would fire off overloads to take out the drones' shields, allowing N'tho to gun them down. Garrus was capable of doing both, having both the omni-tool and aim necessary for the task, while Liara would fire biotic warps and throws to toss the drones about. Liara biotically threw the very last drone into the gully wall, the flying turret exploding on impact. Once the drones were done with, the mako drove over to the rocks where the rest of the squad was and came to a halt.

"Wrex. How does it look over there?" Chief asked.

Wrex winked orange twice.

Several mechs were thrown off from the wall, followed by a loud, satisfied laugh.

"Anyway…." Wrex began after taking a breath to calm himself from his ecstatic killing spree. "This firebase is embedded into the gully wall, but there's a passage in the wall we can walk through. Not big enough for the mako, though."

"Then I guess we're hoofing it from here." Chief said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "Kaidan, Ashley, pile out. Wrex, find a switch that'll open the door. Cortana, what do the other two firebases look like?"

"One sec. Need to hack the mainframes." the AI replied as Chief climbed out of the mako, following Ashley and Kaidan. The squad congregated outside the door. "I'm in. Interesting. It seems this firebase is just a gate area for the other two, which is actually the training course proper, judging from the symmetrical layout."

"Symmetrical?" Liara asked. It was then that the huge metal gate in front of the squad opened slowly. The squad passed through once there was enough space to do so.

"One firebase directly facing another, with some cover scattered in-between." Cortana elaborated. "Meant to simulate extended firefights; advancing through cover, taking and holding tactical positions, that kinda stuff. Typically, trainees would be sent into one base while the mechs and drones would be sent into another and the two would be left to duke it out, sometimes over certain objectives."

As Wrex descended a flight of stairs to join the rest of the squad, Cortana chimed in again. "Huh. How about that. According to the VI's report, we're doing well."

"Report?" Chief asked. It was then that a list of names and accompanying numbers appeared on the Spartan's HUD.

"Those look like combat scores." Ashley said. Apparently, Cortana transmitted this list to the rest of the squad's HUDs as well.

"That they are, Ashley." Cortana confirmed. "It seems the VI thinks that this is all just another training exercise and is scoring us appropriately. It's broadcasting this report on all channels."

"…..I call varrenshit." Wrex said. "The Turian shouldn't score higher than me."

"That's because my aim was better." Garrus plainly replied.

"I just took out every mech on that wall." Wrex argued with a growl. "And now you're telling me that drones are worth more points?"

"Well, they _are _harder to hit, what with their tendency to fly around in circles." Garrus pointed out.

"Enough. Both of you. This isn't a video game." Chief sternly cut in. "Cortana, block the scores. I don't want to give these two a reason to argue throughout the mission."

"He started it." Garrus said. Chief looked over his shoulder and the cracked visor glared at the Turian, promptly shutting him up. Wrex then chuckled a bit. Chief turned his visor on the Krogan next, shutting him up too.

"Let's move." Chief said as he lead the squad through the passage that Wrex described. It was a circular tunnel drilled through the rock only three meters tall and two meters wide; just large enough for the squad to slip through. The only illumination the whole way were little blue lights bolted to the walls.

The squad eventually came to a corner in the small tunnel. Chief held up his hand with four fingers pressed to his palm, bringing the team to a halt. There was a faint light coming from whatever was around the corner, light from outside most likely. "N'tho. Cloak and scout ahead. If that's the end of the tunnel, I wanna know what's waiting for us." the Spartan ordered.

"On it." N'tho replied before activating his cloak. Once he was sufficiently transparent, he crept past the rest of the squad and around the corner. "Okay, looks like we're expected. There's like, half a dozen locusts all standing around outside the tunnel exit and they're pointing their guns down the hole." the Sangheili said after a few seconds went by.

"Where are you?" Chief asked.

"Right behind the line they've formed. Already got a grenade handy, just say the word." N'tho replied.

"Get to a defensible position. When you're ready, make a hole." Chief ordered.

"Can do." N'tho replied. Twenty-eight seconds passed before the familiar cracking boom of a plasma grenade detonating pierced the air, followed by the sounds of gunfire. "I now have their complete and undivided attention!" N'tho announced over TEAMCOM.

"On me! Move!" Chief ordered as he barged around the corner and held up his assault rifle, ready for battle. He emerged from the tunnel to find himself on the roof of a building of some sort. Ahead of him were the remains of three locusts, while three others were marching towards a large crate with their guns raised, presumably where N'tho had taken cover. The Master Chief lined up his shots and with three short bursts of fire, popped off the remaining mechs' heads one after another. He had little time to celebrate his victory, as he was immediately under fire.

He looked in the direction the fire was coming from. As it turned out, the building that the squad was standing on was vaguely shaped like a horseshoe. The squad had emerged on one arm of the horseshoe, and the mechs were firing on them from the other arm. "Take cover!" The Chief ordered. Wrex, Ashley and Tali rushed over to one of the cover flaps that pitted the edge of the roof roughly every ten feet. The Chief himself ran to the crate where N'tho was hiding, followed closely by the rest of the squad. Chief looked around the corner of the crate to find N'tho taking cover at an adjacent cover flap. The Sangheili was soon joined by Garrus and Kaidan, while Liara knelt at the Spartan's side.

Chief checked his motion tracker and noticed that the mechs were beginning to march towards them. "Liara. Get ready to deliver a singularity on my mark." Chief ordered. Liara nodded at the Spartan as her body already started glowing blue, primed to fire off a biotic attack. A few seconds later, half a dozen mechs marched into the squad's line of fire. "Mark!" Chief barked.

Liara launched her singularity at the pack of locusts. Within seconds, the mechanicals were swirling around the miniature black hole as if caught in a biotic tornado. Additionally, the singularity also pulled in a rather large crate, the mechs banging off of it as well as each other. "Open fire." Chief calmly ordered. He and his squadmates around him poured fire into the swirling mass of metal. After another few seconds, the singularity faded and the swirling remains of the mechs dropped to the floor, the large heavy crate landing on top of the pile of plastic parts with an audible crunch.

"All hostiles down." Ashley reported over TEAMCOM. Chief checked his motion tracker and was satisfied with the confirmed lack of red dots. He turned around and walked over to Ashley, Wrex and Tali, sparing a glance at the courtyard a story below them as he walked over. It was full of destroyed mechs. The three of them must have been dealt with those mechs while he and the others were dealing with that other group.

"Status?" Chief asked.

"Green." Ashley replied. "Sir." she hastily added.

"Getting an update from the VI." Cortana reported. "It still thinks this whole thing is just another training exercise. It's congratulating us for taking 'blue base,' and has given us sixty seconds to fortify our position while the VI's remaining forces fortify their own position at 'red base' at the other side of the training course."

"This is the training course?" Tali asked.

"You got it." Cortana replied. With that, the Chief jogged over to the other 'arm' of the u-shaped building's roof to assess the layout of the battlefield. He could easily see 'red base' from his location. Between the two bases was a wide field dotted by boulders, trees and a large stream that ran through the middle of the map, with a small island in the middle of the stream. On the left and right sides of the field, Chief could see several different buildings, the ones on the left situated on the edge of a cliff, the ones on the right situated at the base of another cliff. This whole course must have been a nook in the mountain. The Spartan's first instinct was to advance straight down the middle to red base, but then he realized that there were likely many nooks and crannies along the sides of the course that could be used to his advantage. If he didn't do that, the VI likely would.

"Cortana, what do we have to work with in blue base?" Chief asked the AI as he trotted back over to his squad.

"Well, we have a warthog and mongoose in the base, another mongoose by the rappelling towers on your right, so charging in guns blazing could be a viable strategy here." Cortana answered.

"Anything good in the armory?" Chief probed.

"Nothing really too fancy." Cortana replied evenly. "A couple of assault rifles, a couple of pistols, a sniper rifle and…oh."

"What 'oh?'" Chief asked.

"Up in the blue base sniper nest is an asymmetric recoilless carbine-930." Cortana explained. "Basically, a personal railgun."

With that, Wrex immediately started trotting off towards the sniper nest. "Where are you going?" Garrus asked.

"To get me a railgun." Wrex plainly answered.

"You have a map of the course?" Chief asked Cortana as Wrex jogged over to stake his claim.

"You know it." Cortana replied as the map showed up on the Chief's HUD. "We've got twenty seconds before the VI launches its counter-attack. If you're gonna come up with a plan, do it fast."

"Already did." Chief said. "Garrus. Get up in that sniper nest. You're going to be my eyes."

"Sure thing." the Turian replied with a nod before jogging up after Wrex.

"N'tho, Liara, Wrex. Take a defensive position by the rappelling towers. That position will give you a decent LOS on approaching enemy forces. If it's mechanical, shoot it." Chief went on.

Chief received green winks from the three of them. He saw N'tho and Liara jog down the stairs and sprint to the towers, while he spied Wrex biotically charging to his designated station with a shiny new railgun in his hands. "Everyone else, on me. We're making for the underpass over on the right."

"Three…two…one…and the mechs are now coming this way." Cortana said.

"Let's move." Chief said as he jumped from the roof and landed on the ground with a thud. The others followed suit, as it was only a ten-foot fall.

….

*BOOM!*

Wrex barked out another harsh laugh at the sight of yet another cricket blowing up into singed bits and parts. The railgun automatically ejected its slug and the Krogan gladly slapped in a new one. That was the tradeoff to using heavy weapons; most of them didn't use ammo blocks, and so have a much more limited ammunition supply, but considering the results, Wrex considered it to be a fair tradeoff. After firing five shots, Wrex decided that he should probably switch to his assault rifle. He knew the railgun worked, and now he should be saving it for more special targets rather than on these small fries. He biotically pushed one of the mechs into the nearby stream and riddled another one with bullets.

Liara launched a singularity at an incoming pack of mechs. Wrex and N'tho then opened fire on the automatons orbiting the black hole that formed. When the singularity subsided, the dead mechs collapsed into a heap in the middle of the dirt road. "Man, this is too easy." N'tho noted. "I mean, Liara just throws out a-"

"Stop. Talking." Wrex snarled.

"What?" N'tho asked. "I was just gonna say that it's kinda unfair that we can shoot black holes and they can't. Like, maybe they need something on their side to level the playing field a little."

It was then that the three of them heard a low-pitched electronic warble, sounding almost like animal noises. It was then that a trio of small four-legged mechs appeared from the front door of the operations building across the dirt road and began running at the squad, barking like the dogs they vaguely resembled. "I hate you." Wrex said before unloading some fire on the FENRIS mechs, also known as crickets.

Two of the crickets met their ends on approach, but one of them was able to get close enough to N'tho to pounce on the young Sangheili, knocking him to the ground. It then fired a taser at him, disabling his shields. Thinking quickly, Liara smacked the mech off with a biotic throw before rushing over to N'tho and creating a small biotic bubble shield around them.

As more crickets and locusts made their way down the dirt road to their position, Wrex called up the Chief on TEAMCOM. "Chief. Mind letting us in on that plan? Things are getting a little hairy over here."

"Hold on a little longer. Support is on its way." Chief replied.

…

Ashley let out a low whistle at what she saw. "Well well well. Where's _your _mother, young man?" she asked the armor defense system in a seductive tone of voice.

Sitting in the garage-like area in the underpass was a prone HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark XI Armor Defense System, commonly known as the mantis. It sat in the middle of the garage with its cockpit door open, as if waiting for someone to come in and take control. On its right 'arm' was a mass accelerator machine gun, similar to what the mako had, and on its left 'arm' was a mass accelerator cannon, also similar to what the mako had. The difference however, was that the mantis had not one, not two, but _five _canons on that hand, though each one was significantly smaller than the mako's cannon. Painted in Alliance Blue with the Alliance logo emblazoned on several spots on the mech's skin, it represented an interesting evolution of the HRUNTING Mark III Exoskeleton, or cyclops, from the Master Chief's day.

Wasting no time, the Master Chief put away his weapon and trotted up to the mech's cockpit. He climbed inside, the cockpit door snapping shut automatically. He powered up the systems, and the mantis rose to its feet, its formerly limp arms now locking into place on either side of the cockpit, ready for battle.

"Here's the plan." Chief said over TEAMCOM. "Wrex, N'tho, Liara. I'm on my way to your position. Once I've given you enough breathing room to do it, I want you to push forward into the operations building. Clear it out, followed by the motor pool. Kaidan, Ashley, Tali. I want the three of you to keep advancing through the underpass and the communications building to red base. That path will lead into a cave that should keep you out of sight. I need you guys to flank the VI while me and the rest of the squad are holding its attention across the stream."

"I'll be sure to highlight everyone's objectives on their HUDS." Cortana added. "Also, the VI's processing core is located beneath red base. Once we neutralize the VI's remaining forces, we should be just one quick elevator ride away from completing this mission."

"So let's make it happen, people." Chief said as he began piloting the mantis out of the underpass and across the stream. "Garrus. How's red base looking?"

"More locusts and crickets on the way, along with a few drones for good measure. Looks like the VI is pulling out - uh-oh." Garrus replied.

"What is it?" Chief asked.

"Big mechs." Garrus explained. "Really, _really _big mechs heading for the rappelling towers."

"Guess I picked a good time to find this mantis, then." Chief said as he approached the force of locusts and crickets engaging Wrex, Liara and N'tho. He opened fire with his machine gun, tearing the mechs to shreds as he closed the distance. As he came ashore, he stomped on the last remaining locust while turning towards the next wave of mechanical enemies coming up the road from red base.

Escorted by a legion of more locusts was a very large mech. It was shorter, but stockier than the mantis that Chief was piloting, and like its comrades was stark white in color with a mass accelerator machine gun in one arm and a rocket launcher in the other. Like the LOKI and FENRIS, it had two red circles vertically stacked on its 'face' to presumably act as eyes. It was a Battle YMIR Model 34-A Mech, colloquially known as the beetle. It stopped and fired a rocket at the mantis, one that the Chief nimbly avoided thanks to his piloting skills and returned fire.

"Advance into the operations building. I'll cover you." Chief ordered as he fired all five MA cannons at the beetle.

….

"One more thing before you advance through the caves, guys." Cortana said as she slapped a marker on the HUDs of Kaidan, Ashley and Tali. "There's some weapon lockers up top-side holding several heavy weapons. A little extra firepower should help you take out red base."

"Thanks Cortana." Kaidan said. "Come on. Let's move." he said as he led Ashley and Tali up a staircase that went up to the second level of the communications building.

"How do we know it's not lying to us?" Tali asked.

"She hasn't lead us wrong yet." Ashley pointed out as the group took another staircase leading outside.

"It hasn't lead us at all!" Tali countered as they arrived at the roof of the underpass. From the roof, they could see clear to the other side of the live fire course, where Chief was engaging the VI's mechanical minions in the mantis they found earlier. Against the cliff wall was a waterfall consisting of four streams of water, which was likely what was feeding the stream that ran through the middle of the course. To the left of the waterfall was a nook which housed the weapon lockers that Cortana spoke of. The three of them rushed over.

"Okay. Grab something and then head to this spot here." Cortana said as he slapped another arrow on their HUDs. The three of them helped themselves to various different weapons. Ashley grabbed a light machine gun from one locker, a rifle that was roughly 45 inches in length and had a large round ammo block resembling a drum magazine. Kaidan pulled out what looked like a large pistol that had something resembling a cylinder of some sort in place of a barrel. He attached it to his thigh opposite his regular pistol and took out a few spare cylinders from the locker. That left Tali with a large, heavy, and very odd looking contraption. The device looked vaguely like a shoulder-mounted heavy weapon, but Tali did see any slots to slid in rockets or any other kind of ammunition, for that matter. The young Quarian was curious. If it didn't fire rockets, what did it fire?

"Come on, let's move." Kaidan said as he made for the arrow on his HUD, Ashley right behind him.

"Wait for me!" Tali yelled as she decided to bring the strange bulky weapon with her. She folded it up on her back, right next to her assault rifle, before taking off after the two Humans, silently miffed that she didn't get time to inspect the weapon more closely.

….

Wrex, Liara and N'tho made it safely across the road and into the operations building. They found themselves in a a spacious room with computer screens periodically placed along the walls, each one showing the Human Systems Alliance insignia as a screensaver. At the far end of a corridor, a pair of crickets walked out from around the corner. They started barking as soon as they saw the three aliens enter the building and charged, but didn't get far as they were subsequently gunned down.

"I'll check the roof. You two head down that way." Wrex ordered as he pointed down the corridor.

"Since when were you in charge?" N'tho asked.

Wrex headbutted N'tho to the ground. "Pick his ass up and then push forward." Wrex ordered Liara as he stomped up the stairs. He emerged on the roof of the operations building and marched over to a railing and looked over the battlefield below. He saw Chief's mantis embroiled with a beetle. Unfolding his railgun, Wrex lined up a shot and fired on the large mech, hitting it right in the shoulder, heavily damaging its armor. The blow ceased the beetle's assault, giving Chief the window of opportunity needed to press his own attack.

Wrex looked over to the catwalk bridge that connected the operations building to the motor pool and saw several more locusts marching across the bridge, the two that were out in front opening fire through the doorway below where Liara and N'tho likely were. After reloading, Wrex lined up another shot on his railgun and fired, taking out the front half of the mech squad. Liara then appeared from the doorway beneath the Krogan and hit the rest of the squad with a biotic shockwave, knocking them off the bridge, clearing the way for N'tho and herself. Wrex jumped over the railing and landed on the bridge to join them as they trotted into the motor pool.

They were on the upper floor of the building, a series of catwalks over the small garage area below. In the small garage were too inactive beetles that needed to be destroyed before the VI could deploy them. But first, the three of them had to dispose of the dozen or so locusts patrolling the upper level. Between N'tho gunning down a few with his needler shotgun, Liara tossing a few out the window with her biotics and Wrex tackling and headbutting the rest to the ground, the occupying mechs were dispatched in relatively short order.

Once the locusts were dealt with, the three of them jogged down the steps to the lower level. "Okay. We need to get rid of these two mechs and fast. Ideas?" Wrex asked.

"I think I got one." N'tho said as he approached one of the beetles. "Always wanted to try this…." The Sangheili said as he removed his grenade belt and tied it around the beetle's neck. "I call it the grenade guillotine." he stated with a hint of pride.

"That still leaves the second one." Wrex pointed out.

"I can deal with it." Liara said as she walked up to the other one. "I could lift it, carry it out of the building, and drop it off the cliff. But I've never tried to lift anything so heavy with my biotics before."

"Now's a good time to start. Get on it." Wrex ordered. Liara nodded and lifted the prone mech with her biotics and slowly guided it out the garage door. While she was doing that, N'tho pressed a button on each plasma grenade on the belt.

"Fire in the hole!" N'tho yelped before dashing behind a crate, oddly pointing his omni-tool at the mech. The grenades detonated, sending the severed flaming head of the automaton flying outside, skipping across the ground and into the stream. "Oh! Oh! Holy wort! Whole! Lee! Wort!" N'tho cheered. "And I was recording with my camera, too! That is SO going on my startube page!"

Meanwhile, while Liara was carrying the second beetle over to the cliff's edge, she came under attack by another pack of locusts. Thinking quickly, the Asari hid behind the very mech she was biotically carrying, the locusts peppering the beetle with fire in an attempt to get at her. Their attack stopped with an explosion followed up by machine gun fire. Liara turned and saw her savior; Master Chief in the mantis. The Spartan had saved her life once again. Nodding in gratitude, she gently pushed the still-floating hulk of metal over the cliff edge. When the biotic field wore off, the mech plummeted into the river far below.

"We're making progress on the left flank." the Chief announced over TEAMCOM as another mech force, this time accompanied with flying rocket drones, marched from red base to the motor pool. "Alenko. How's the right flank looking?"

….

"No trouble so far." Kaidan replied. He, Ashley and Tali were in a cave tunnel that was connected to the communications building. He looked around the corner and saw red base's defenses on that side; lots of locusts and drones. "We're about to hit red base."

"Same here." Chief said. "Meet you inside."

"Roger that." Kaidan said. He turned to Ashley and pointed to her, and then a tree outside. Ashley nodded before she rushed out.

With her newly acquired SAW blazing and taking down a couple of mechs, she rushed over to the tree before taking cover behind it. As the locusts approached, Kaidan pulled out his sticky launcher, aimed and fired it at the ground beneath the mechs' feet. He quickly detonated it, taking out half of that group before reloading and firing off another sticky at the dirt road that lead into red base; a trap for any mechs that would come from that direction. With that trap set, Kaidan switched to his assault rifle and activated his biotic barrier before rushing outside and kneeling down to one knee to lay down some suppressive fire on the mechs. Tali switched to her own assault rifle but stayed near the cave entrance to use it as cover as she fired on the automatons herself.

Just a few seconds later, a metallic stomping sound could be heard. Another beetle was marching up the dirt road, accompanied by nearly two dozen locusts. Noticing the enemy force approaching, Kaidan whipped out the sticky detonator and checked the fold-out screen which showed a motion tracker. He patiently waited for a squad of six locusts to pass by the explosive he planted and detonated it. With an explosion, three locusts were destroyed, the other three stunned from the force of the blast. Those remaining three were then quickly cut down by Ashley's SAW.

"Tali! Take out that beetle!" Kaidan shouted as he rushed over to a rocky outcrop next to the tree where Ashley was taking cover as his barrier faded away. The Quarian was about to ask 'with what' until she remembered the strange heavy weapon on her back. Now was evidently the time to whip it out.

As she unholstered it, the weapon unfolded slightly, revealing what looked like a gun barrel. Grunting as she tried to hold the heavy weapon steady, she used the fold-out screen to help target the beetle's head. Once she had a good shot lined up, she pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened. She pulled it several more times. "What the bosh?"

"You're supposed to _hold down_ the trigger." Cortana helpfully pointed out.

"Shut up." Tali growled as she held the trigger down.

A tiny red laser appeared from the weapon, painting the beetle. The weapon emanated an odd whine that steadily grew louder and higher-pitched. On the fold-out screen, two arrows moved towards each other to meet on the side of the reticule. Finally, it fired.

"Keelah!" Tali yelped as the kickback from the spartan laser knocked her to the ground, landing right on her butt. Despite that, the massive red laser hit its target. It pierced the beetle's shields, melted right through its armor, and generally cut through the massive machine like a hot knife through butter. The beetle exploded as the laser pierced through it, the force of the explosion stunning its locust entourage.

Ashley came from behind the tree to lay into the locusts with her SAW, Kaidan giving her covering fire with his assault rifle and the occasional biotic warp. Tali also moved up to help cover Ashley after she noted that the beetle was no longer a threat. It was then that a metallic stomping was heard once again, but this time it had a quicker rhythm and a thump that wasn't as deep as the beetle's footfall. Chief's mantis came around the corner to finish off the locust force with some machine gunfire and a few well-aimed cannon blasts.

"Red base is now secure." Chief announced over TEAMCOM. The mantis powered down and sat itself on the ground as the Chief climbed out. "Ashley, Tali, you two are with me. We're heading down to the VI core to shut it down. Everyone else, start searching the course for stragglers. You all have your orders."

….

There were no mechs waiting for Tali, Ashley and the Master Chief in the VI core. The VI core consisted of two dozen VI conduits, and each one had to be deactivated. Unfortunately, with its army of mechs and drones defeated, the VI had turned to its last line of defense; software. It had rigged up firewalls to negate the deactivation commands, making it all but impossible to shut off the conduits.

Unfortunately for the VI, its plan had a critical flaw. The conduits themselves weren't bulletproof.

After destroying the last conduit, a burst of white noise over all frequencies nearly deafened the three of them. According to Cortana, it was a binary sequence that roughly translated to 'HELP.'

With the mission complete, the three of them rode up the elevator back to the surface. Chief went over to the communications building to report the mission as accomplished to Alliance brass. Brass congratulated the Master Chief on a job well-done and ordered him and the squad to remain in the training course so that it would be secure until Alliance marines showed up to relieve them, which would be fairly soon.

Liara had just finished helping Kaidan inspecting inventory at the motor pool; taking stock of everything that was lost or damaged in the battle. Thankfully, most of the inventory was still in good shape, and what little was damaged could be easily repaired and what little was lost could be easily replaced. Kaidan dismissed her and sent her outside. She saw Wrex wading through the stream, catching the koi fish that dwelled within the stream with his bare hands. Apparently, the battle had made him hungry. Ashley and Tali were over at blue base taking inventory, while N'tho and Garrus were doing the same at the communications building. With her own duties done, the young Asari decided to go looking for the Master Chief.

She found him at red base, on the roof of the u-shaped building. He stood by the railing and looked out on the huge, sprawling river in the valley below, into which the stream spilled. The rain had finally stopped and the sun that the Humans called Epsilon Eridani finally managed to break through the clouds and cast its golden light on the new day. The Asari walked up next to the Spartan and leaned on the railing. For a few minutes, the two of them were silent.

"Beautiful view from here." Liara noted aloud to break the awkward silence more than anything else.

"Yeah." Chief replied. Liara noted that he sounded weary, almost sad. Then again, his emotions were hard to gauge with that stoic demeanor of his.

"This is the Big Horn River." Chief said as he pointed to the river. "We're in Longhorn Valley." he added.

"You know this place?" Liara asked.

"….I spent most of my childhood on this planet." Chief answered after what seemed to be a pause. "My family and I went camping here once."

"Reach is your home?" The Asari scientist pressed.

"Closest thing I have to one." he answered. "….There aren't any trees." he said after another pause.

"Trees?" Liara asked, getting a little confused.

"Last time I was here, there was a whole forest in this valley." Chief explained. "Trees as far as the eye can see on both sides of the river. But now look." Chief said as pointed at the valley again. "No trees. Just bare naked meadows on both sides."

Liara observed the valley more closely, and indeed, she couldn't spot a single tree in the valley. "I'm not surprised." Liara said. "After the Covenant glassed Reach, the Humans had to terraform this planet heavily to make it habitable again, and terraforming is not an exact science. Forests don't always take where they should. It is often very difficult to predict exactly where ecosystems will flourish."

The Master Chief was silent again. "Perhaps the forest is somewhere else in the valley?" Liara suggested.

The Chief simply shook his head. "It's not where it's supposed to be." he said. With that, he walked away. Liara did not follow him, sensing that he wished to be alone for now.

….

**Codex Entry (Ships and Vehicles): HRUNTING / YGGDRASIL MARK XI ARMOR DEFENSE SYSTEM**

_The HRUNTING / YGGDRASIL Mark XI Armor Defense System is a single-person combat exoskeleton most often used by the Human Systems Alliance in small-scale reconnaissance operations, light infantry assaults, and covert operations such as those conducted by ONI. It is commonly referred to as the 'mantis,' following Alliance tradition of nicknaming mechs after insects native to Earth._

_The typical mantis is equipped with a machine gun on the right arm and a mass accelerator cannon on the left arm, the former being intended for use against light infantry, the latter for use against more heavily-armored targets. It also has a 'stomp' function, which pilots find useful should ammunition run low, or when targets try to attack from below the pilot's FOV. In combination with a speed and nimbleness that is unusual for a manually-operated mech of its size, the end result is a formidable war machine, capable of eliminating entire squads of enemy soldiers within seconds. Its only weakness lies in its fairly thin armor, again unusual for a mech of its size. Most mantises have built-in kinetic barriers to compensate for this weakness._

_Several variants of the mantis exist, such as anti-infantry and anti-aircraft models, the primary difference between which being specific armaments. The ODST have their own ODAV variant of the mantis; one that is capable of being dropped from orbit directly into the battlefield, similar to the mako. This variant comes equipped with several modifications to make it more viable for orbital drops; thicker armor, heat-proof shielding, micro-thruster jets to slow descent, and even a small element zero core to reduce the mass of the mech, making it less likely to be destroyed on impact with the planet's surface._

….

**Yeah, I guess the REAL reason these chapters take so long is because I'm very easily distra-ooooooh, Roosterteeth posted a new Minecraft Let's Play!**

**Anyway, one thing I was really looking forward to in Halo 4 as soon as I heard about it? The Master Chief's face. THAT gave me more incentive to finish Halo 4's single-player campaign quicker than I normally would have, that was for sure. So to say the least, I was disappointed that they only show you the Chief's face if you completed the campaign solo on legendary, AND EVEN THEN, you only really see his eyes.**

**So aside from the fact that his eyebrows are black, John-117's face is still pretty much a mystery.**

**What do you all think the MC's face looks like? Lemme know in your review or via a PM.**

…**.I'm not gonna have him take off his helmet in the next chapter, as part of some kind of character development. I'm just curious about what all of you think. Really.**

…**.**

**Ha! Oh Ray! You and your rose fixation!**


	36. New Alexandria

**Quick shout-out to another TLS spinoff fic; "Last of an Ancient Breed" by Zgamer. It's good. Go read it.**

…

0942 Hours, March 10th, 2683

New Alexandria, Surface of Reach

Epsilon Eridani System, Forerunner Cluster

…

New Alexandria. Reach's capital city and the largest one she has. The crown jewel of the Epsilon Eridani throne. As Chief walked down one of the city's many concourses, he took in the shining towers and skyscrapers as they glistened in the bright sunlight of a busy new morning. Humans of various ages and races and backgrounds passed him by, many stopping to get a decent eye full, a few taking pictures with their omni-tools. The Spartan was impressed with how well the city was rebuilt. It was as if the city was never burned to the ground. It was exactly as it was before the Covenant came.

Well. Almost exactly; something the Chief noted as he passed a restaurant. The sign read "Fishdog Foodshack," and the menu in the window outside showed that it mainly sold varren meat. The Chief shook his head as he continued his way down the concourse towards Fleet Command Headquarters.

Earlier in the Hghland Mountains, the Master Chief's team was relieved by several squads of marines that arrived via kodiak shuttles; ONI if the S-1's on their shoulder pads were any indication. Over the next few days, they'll be investigating just how exactly the VI went rogue. If the Master Chief knew ONI, the general public will likely never hear of this incident. Indeed, even the Citadel Council likely won't know about this incident if ONI would have its way; news of an Alliance VI going rogue and possibly developing sentience could severely set back Humanity's long-term political goals.

Once ONI had the live-fire course secure, Chief keyed the _Normandy _to pick up the team and the mako, and then charted a course northeast for New Alexandria, a short flight that only took about fifteen minutes. The ship was currently parked at the New Alexandria starport, being refueled and tuned up by Huragok dock workers, while Requisitions Officer Lawrence was working on resupplying. There was no doubt that, by now, the rest of the ship's crew had already spread out across the city, intent on making the most of their brief shore leave by exploring New Alexandria's many tourist attractions, of which there were more than Chief really remembered.

As for the Master Chief himself, he was heading for Fleet Command Headquarters. He had already put in a requisition order for armor repairs there and didn't want to keep the engineers waiting much longer. He could see the Olympic Tower off in the distance, so he knew he was heading in the right direction.

"Is that really…Wow! It's you!"

Chief turned and saw a man come jogging over to him. He was caucasian with short blonde hair, thick blonde eyebrows, and a scruffy blonde beard on his chin. "You're the Master Chief! The Hero of Earth! The Last Spartan!" Once he came to a stop in front of the Spartan, he bowed. "I am _so _honored to meet you!"

Chief sighed. Great. A fan. This was the last thing he needed right now. "Likewise." he reluctantly replied, knowing that he had to avoid another PR disaster. "And you are…?"

"My name is Conrad." the man answered. "Conrad Verner. They say you killed more than a hundred Geth on Eden Prime!"

"I was just doing my job." Chief stated with a shrug.

"Hey, I know you're probably busy but, um, do you have time for a quick autograph?" Conrad cautiously asked.

"Sure." Chief said. Conrad handed a data pad to the Chief and the Spartan quickly signed it with the data pen. "There you go." he said as he handed it back.

"Thanks! I really appreciate it. My wife is going to be so impressed!" Conrad gushed. "I'll let you get back to work, but next time you're on Reach, I'd _love _to buy you a drink! Thanks again!" With that, he jogged off with a spring in his step, giddy as a school boy.

Chief sighed in relief. Boy was he glad that was so mercifully brief. He was also glad that Cortana wasn't here to tease him about his new biggest fan. As the Spartan resumed course for Fleet Command Headquarters, he idly wondered how Cortana was doing.

…

"How much further is it?" Liara asked as she walked down the concourse.

"One hundred and twenty seven feet." Cortana chirped in reply. "Just keep following the arrow, Liara."

The Master Chief was heading for Fleet Command Headquarters, hoping he could get his armor repaired there. Thing was, he didn't want ONI examining his helmet with Cortana still in it. And since Cortana didn't want to spend any more time twiddling her metaphorical thumbs in Chief's PC, they opted for a compromise.

Thus, Liara was Cortana's 'AI-sitter' for the day.

Liara kept following the arrow on her HUD, passing by many Humans wearing odd clothes. The young Asari never did do particularly well in crowds. Further compounding the anxiety was the fact that Liara was still wearing her combat armor, as her 'civilian' clothes as Chief called them couldn't carry Cortana. It had to be a hard suit, otherwise the AI would be deaf and blind as nothing more than a chip in Liara's pocket.

Still, it flattered her, knowing that Chief trusted her enough to keep Cortana company. Cortana and the Master Chief had been through a lot together. She knew how important the AI's well-being was to him. She was still a little nervous with the prospect of having an AI loose in her hard suit, but she was willing to overcome that for the Chief's sake.

"There it is! Dead ahead." Cortana replied as Liara found where the arrow pointed to; 'World Cuisine,' a restaurant of some sort. Earlier, Liara had mentioned to Cortana that she was hungry, due to having a light breakfast. The AI had guided her to the restaurant so the Asari may eat her fill. However, she was hesitant.

"I've….never really had Human food before." Liara said. "Not off board the _Normandy _anyway."

"Oh come on, you're an Asari maiden, right?" Cortana asked. "According to the codex, Asari your age are all about exploring the galaxy and experiencing new things. So just think of this as a new experience."

With a nod, Liara walked inside. It was a large restaurant with rows upon rows of tables and booths by the windows, a few of which gave a decent view of New Alexandria's harbor. She got into the line that formed in front of the cashier. As she waited, she observed the menu. 'Burgers,' 'hot dogs,' 'sundaes,' 'tacos,' Liara had no idea what any of those things were. "Need help?" Cortana asked.

"Yes." Liara replied aloud. The person in front of her, a Human, looked at her over his shoulder, giving her a puzzled look. "Uh….Yes! I am in line! I am waiting! Indeed I am! Waiting for food! Yes!" The Asari cheefully said. "…I am normal!" she added for good measure.

He gave her another odd look before rolling his eyes and turning back to the front of the line. "Okay, first of all, try not to verbally answer my questions. Kinda makes you sound crazy. Second, I would recommend the Classic Moa Burger for your first time. Cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions and moa meat. Nothing too fancy."

Liara nodded instead of giving her reply verbally this time. Once it was her turn at the cashier, she ordered the burger, which was ready within a few minutes. She took the tray and began walking around the restaurant in search of a quiet, out-of-the-way place to sit. She didn't have much luck. There were adolescent Humans having a conversation at one table, a mother with a rambunctious child at another, she thought about eating at one of the tables outside the restaurant in order to enjoy her meal in peace. She then saw a Sangheili in typical casual clothes for the species; loose-fitting sleeveless cotton shirt and pants, along with leather shoulderpads, oddly enough. He was sitting at a booth seat and had half a dozen rectangular-shaped food items on his tray, and was currently in the middle of eating one of them. Despite the change of clothes however, Liara quickly recognized who it was. "N'tho?" Liara asked as she walked over.

"Huh?" the Sangheili said as he looked up. "Oh, hey Liara. Didn't think I'd see you here." N'tho said as the Asari took a seat across from him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hungry. Same as you, evidently." Liara replied, noting all the food N'tho had in front of him.

"What can I say? I _love _burritos." N'tho said as he took another bite of the food tube. He swallowed before going on. "These moa burritos are pretty good, but they got still got nuthin' on the skaven five-layers we got back in Sraom."

"They have burritos on Sangheilios?" Liara asked. "I thought they were a Human food."

"They are." N'tho clarified before taking another bite and swallowing. "But after the Human-Covenant War, my species _fell in love_ with burritos. They fit our mouths perfectly, which is great because eating burgers or pizza can be tricky with the way our mandibles work."

"I see." Liara replied as she removed her helmet to eat the burger more easily. "I went with this burger myself, on Cortana's suggestion."

"Cortana?" N'tho asked.

"She…" The Asari paused after realizing that she might have been speaking too loudly in such a crowded public place. "She's in my hardsuit." Liara said in a quieter voice. "I'm looking after her while the Chief is getting his armor repaired."

"How's that working out?" N'tho asked before finishing off the last of his burrito and starting work on another one.

"Very well." Liara answered. "Cortana is nothing like the Geth. She's very polite and helpful. She actually guided me here so that I would not get lost in this city." She unwrapped her burger and took a bite. She was pleasantly surprised with how flavorful the meat was.

"Cool." N'tho replied after he swallowed. He shook his head a bit. "Still can't believe the Chief kept her from us this whole time." he muttered.

"I do not blame him for it." Liara said after she swallowed herself. "She is his last surviving friend from his home era, and furthermore, she is an AI. You know what the Council could do to her if they ever found out about her."

"Okay, I can get why he'd keep her a secret from the Council." N'tho admitted. "But why keep her a secret from _us_?"

"Because he barely knows us." Liara pointed out. "He's only known all of us for a few weeks. We are practically strangers to him."

"Strangers or not, you don't keep secrets from your team." N'tho argued as he took another bite of his burrito, his frustration evident in the apparent viciousness behind the bite.

"…I get the feeling that you're still angry about what he said to you back in the Registry." Liara said. N'tho gave no verbal response, instead opting to swallow and then take another vicious bite out of the burrito and avoid eye contact with the Asari. "Please understand, N'tho. The Master Chief is a product of his time. He was frustrated, and by refusing to leave, you all but invited him to lash out at you."

"Whaddya mean by 'frustrated?'" N'tho asked as he regained eye contact with her.

"Chief told me about how Garrus tried to push Chief into revealing Cortana's existence to the crew." Liara explained. "It made him mad. He is-"

"Oh what, one of his guys tells him something he doesn't wanna hear, he gets pissy about it, and then he decides to take it out on me? Is that what you're telling me? Is that how it goes down now?" N'tho interrupted.

"Well, essentially, yes." Liara tried to answer delicately. "Before now, he's only ever worked with other Spartans, who usually follow his orders unwaveringly. He is not used to people confronting him, questioning his decisions so persistently. He is in an unfamiliar situation, and like anyone else in unfamiliar situations, he is having trouble adapting."

"Uh-huh." N'tho said as he took another bite from a burrito, evidently not fully believing Liara, or at least not liking it. The two of them were silent for a time. Liara, not wishing to carry on with this awkward conversation, tried to resume eating her moa burger, the flavor being slightly more difficult to enjoy now with this tension hanging in the air between her and the Sangheili.

"You know, that archive really was the only one of its kind." N'tho said, breaking the silence. "A complete library of every sentient species in the galaxy today, including my own, during their tribal days. If the Chief had just let me stay in there while everyone else fought the Geth, Flood and Promethean, I could've learned something about my species that no one else knew before, you know? Make a discovery that could improve our lives or at least help us better understand our past. But nope. Chief dragged me out of there, and now the Registry is floating in the eighth dimension or wherever it got teleported to."

"Which is where you'd be if you _did _stay." Liara pointed out. "You couldn't stay there, N'tho. You had a job to do. We all did."

"You know Liara, for an archaeologist, you don't seem too broken up about the loss of what was most likely the archaeological find of the century. What gives?" N'tho asked in an almost accusing tone.

"I too was disappointed about the destruction of the ruins at first." Liara admitted. "But I've been talking to the Master Chief over the last few days. He misses his old life. He wishes he were back in his old time instead of a century that is in many ways alien to him. I know that the Master Chief is being difficult, but I imagine anyone else would be in his position. He is not sure that he can trust us, so we must demonstrate to him that he can. That means not only being his team, but also being his friends. And are friends not supposed to have a little patience with one another from time to time?"

N'tho said nothing in response, but he did not avert his gaze from the Asari this time. Quite the opposite. He all but _glared _at her. He turned his head to the side like a curious animal, as if trying to observe her from a different angle. "So…..yes. That's my argument." Liara added, growing increasingly uncomfortable under the Sangheili's stare.

N'tho's mandibles then shifted into his species' equivalent of a smile. "…You and the Chief have been hangin' out a lot in the med bay's storage room." N'tho noted.

"Er, yes." Liara replied. "As I have said, he and I have been talking much over the last few days, and that is where we do most of it."

"….Holy wort, it's true, isn't it?" N'tho asked with a chuckle.

"What?" Liara asked.

"I didn't believe the scuttlebutt goin' around the ship, cuz the Chief didn't seem like that kinda guy, but it's right, isn't it?" N'tho went on, his anger having been replaced by a near-sadistic glee.

"Right about what?" Liara pressed.

"You and the Chief have been _mating._ " N'tho said with a pointed finger and a boyish giggle.

"_WHAT?!" _Liara yelped in reply. "No! No! _By the Goddess, _no!" she emphatically denied.

"Then why are you blushing?" N'tho asked.

"I'm not blushing!" Liara denied.

"Yes, you, aaare." N'tho said in a teasing sing-song voice.

"To be fair, you _are _blushing." Cortana noted. It was then that Liara's omni-tool suddenly activated as it glowed a light shade of blue.

"Hey Cortana." N'tho greeted. "You've been kinda quiet."

"Well N'tho, your conversation with Liara was so entertaining that I didn't want to intrude." Cortana said. Though the AI's avatar did not appear on Liara's omni-tool, it still glowed a light blue and pulsed with every syllable Cortana spoke.

"Entertaining?" Liara asked.

"What can I say? I like watching drama and conflict unfold. And some of the stuff you guys talk about is better than most daytime TV." Cortana replied. "Though Liara's right, N'tho. Chief's going through a rough time right now, so you really should cut him a little slack. He may be a jerkass, but he's _our_ jerkass."

"Maybe." N'tho replied. "….So have Chief and Liara been mating?"

"N'THO!" Liara yelped again in protest.

"Not to my knowledge." Cortana admitted. "However, since you first brought it up I've been picking up increased thermal activity around Liara's cheeks, so that does make me suspect that-"

"Please stop talking please stop talking please stop talking!" Liara panicked as she smacked her omni-tool over and over, trying to silence the AI. N'tho just sat there and laughed.

…

"So you've been to this place before, Kaidan?" Garrus asked as he, Kaidan and Tali walked down the concourse.

"Last time I was on Reach, yeah." Kaidan answered. "It's a good place to go to if you're looking to unwind and have some fun."

"Do they even allow Quarians?" Tali grumbled.

"Don't know. Don't see why they wouldn't." Kaidan replied with a shrug.

"You know _damn well _why they wouldn't." Tali pointed out with a venomous tone.

"Well, I hope they do, because it sounds like _you_ need to unwind a bit more than either of us." The biotic said.

"She's still kind of cranky about the whole 'Cortana' thing." Garrus explained.

"I gathered." Kaidan replied with a nod.

"I can't believe I'm the only one who has a problem with this." Tali said with a shake of her head. "It's an _AI._ It's an _AI, _and no one else on the ship seems to have a problem with it. Has everyone forgotten that we're currently at _war_ with AI's?"

"Not _all _AI's, just the ones who don't like us." Garrus argued. "Cortana doesn't want to kill us so, personally, I've got no issue with her."

"Doesn't want to kill us _yet_." Tali amended. "I know about Rampancy. How long do we have until it turns on us? How long until it endangers the ship's crew and possibly even the entire galaxy if it ever sided with the Geth?"

"You're one to talk." Garrus scoffed.

Tali turned towards Garrus and glared at him through her visor. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"The Quarians endangered the entire galaxy when they let the Geth break free in the first place. Maybe you should be a little more contrite, Tali." Garrus bluntly pointed out.

Tali huffed in reply. "As you are contrite for your people releasing the genophage upon the Krogan?" she asked.

"You're assuming that sterilizing them was a mistake." Garrus replied.

"Enough. Both of you." Kaidan said. He then looked over his shoulder at Tali. "Just relax, Tali." he said. "It's like Cortana said herself back on Eletania; if she was gonna kill us, she would've done by now. We can trust her."

"_It._" Tali corrected.

"Pardon?" Kaidan asked.

"Don't use _she _or _her._ It's a synthetic. A machine." Tali tried to explain.

"You _have _seen Cortana's avatar, right?" Garrus asked as the group turned the corner. "It's _really_ hard not to think of Cortana as a 'she.'"

"Okay you two. Enough politics and conspiracies. We're here." Kaidan said as he pointed to a large building further down the concourse. A dozen or so feet above the front entrance was a yellow circle being pierced by the name 'Errera.' Immediately underneath the logo was the word 'casino,' written in large, golden neon letters. In the courtyard in front of the casino was a fountain decorated with statues of women wearing long togas, using large jars to pour water into the fountain. Dozens of patrons, Human and non-Human alike, walked into and out of the building, some hoping to strike it rich, some already striking it rich, some having busted out, and others just looking for a good time.

As the trio approached the casino, they saw a large Mgalekgolo walking out the door. It was easily a dozen feet tall, but it had large robotic hands in the place of a fuel rod cannon and shield. In one of those robotic hands, it held aloft a Salarian struggling to escape the gestalt's grip. "Put me down you walking can of worms! This is unnecessary handling of my person!" the Salarian ranted. "You put me down right this second or you'll be hearing from my lawyer!"

The Mgalekgolo snuffled indignantly before tossing the Salarian through the air, landing in the fountain with a splash. With something resembling a chortle, the Mgalekgolo sauntered back into the casino. The Salarian eventually waded to the edge of the fountain and climbed out. He tried to shake his arms dry, though his purple suit was still completely soaked. He then fished an odd device out of his pocket and examined it, seemingly relieved that it wasn't damaged.

"Caught cheating, huh?" Kaidan asked as he, Garrus and Tali walked by.

"Hey, they didn't have a _clue _what I was doing!" the Salarian defensively snapped. "They _assumed _I was cheating!" He then slipped the odd device back into his shirt pocket.

"You _were _cheating though, weren't you?" Tali asked as she put a hand on her hip and leaned on one leg.

"I was just tipping the scales in my favor. Only as an experiment." the Salarian justified. He pulled his device back out. "This device is merely intended to simulate situations and record results. Recording losses is easy, of course. No one notices those."

"Why would you need to record these outcomes?" Garrus asked as he crossed his arms.

"Aaaaah, _now _you guys are getting to the heart of it!" the Salarian said as he pointed a finger at the trio in approval. "I've spent five years developing a system that can accurately predict wins and losses on the quasar. I just need a few more recorded wins and I can complete the algorithms."

"Pretty sure that's still cheating." Kaidan argued.

"If you use it? Probably. But I won't use it." the Salarian went on. "I'll sell it to others. I just need a few more wins recorded."

"How does that device work?" Garrus asked.

"The device is set to emit a frequency that will slightly increase your odds. Nothing like my system eventually will, but enough to allow you to record your wins more quickly." the Salarian explained.

"Why not just sell the device then?" Garrus continued to probe.

The Salarian looked at the Turian as though he grew a second head. "Wh- No!" he said. "This device is archaic! It uses brute force to achieve its goal. You saw how easily it was detected. My system, when it's complete, will be far more efficient and completely undetectable."

"Hmmm….Tell you what? Let's make a deal." Garrus began. "Give the device to us, and we'll record the wins for you. In return, we keep however much we win."

The Salarian put a hand to his chin in contemplation. "Huh…..I suppose I _could _let you try it." he muttered to himself. "Okay. Here you go." he said as he handed the device to Garrus. "When you've recorded enough wins, it'll let you know. Of course, if you get caught with the device, well, you saw what happened to me." With that, the Salarian walked away.

"Come on. Let's head in." Garrus said as he marched to the casino with purpose.

"You're actually going to help that Salarian cheat?" Kaidan asked.

"Hell no." Garrus said. "I'm turning this in to the casino's owner. Damned if I'm going to let some lowlife like him invent a system so ripe for abuse by the wrong kind of people."

"Kind of odd that he told us all of that so readily." Tali commented.

"He was slightly drunk. Buzzed, at the very least." Garrus explained. "I could smell it on his breath. He was bragging about how smart he was, I saw it all the time back on the Citadel's bars. Can't hold your tongue if you can't hold your liquor."

"Buzzed?" Kaidan asked. "It's not even ten am."

"To a drunk, it's never too early for a drink." Garrus replied.

"You've seen this kind of thing before, haven't you?" Kaidan asked.

"Work in C-Sec long enough, and you get to see all kinds of things." Garrus answered.

Once the doorman checked their ID's and confirmed they were of legal age, he let the trio inside, though not without giving Tali a wary look for obvious reasons. They were immediately greeted with rows and rows of quasar and slot machines in a massive grand hall. Further in the back of the massive room were numerous roulette and poker tables, as well as a diner / bar. Lining the back walls and mounted atop small polls in the middle of the machine rows were vid-screens showing various sporting events, including varren racing, lutaball, and arena combat. Finally, on each side of the massive room was a spiral staircase that lead upstairs.

"So, where shall we start?" Kaidan asked.

"I'm going to go find the casino manager. Let him know what that Salarian's up to." Garrus said as he walked away.

"They have a dance floor here, right?" Tali asked Kaidan as Garrus walked up to one of the guards.

"Yeah. Upstairs." Kaidan said as he pointed a finger to the ceiling.

"Then that's where I'll be." Tali said with a nod. With that, she walked towards one of the staircases that led upstairs.

"I'll be by the diner if you need me." Kaidan said as he began walking toward the dining area in the back. Tali made her way up the winding staircase up to the second floor of the casino.

"Up next, by popular request, an old favorite; The Siege of Madrigal." a deep voice from upstairs said, though Tali could just barely hear it. As she made her way up the staircase, the sound of the casino below gradually gave way to a thumping beat draped around oddly serene piano music. She arrived at the top of the stairs and found herself in a small bar nook that was lit only by dim purple light. She walked through the bar and was in awe.

She was in a large room, the dance floor taking up nearly all of the chamber's center. There was the expected assortment of Humans on the dance floor, but surprisingly enough there were also Unggoy, thrusting their shoulders back and forth in time with the beat. High above the dance floor, casting a dim yet fiery orange light on the whole room, was a massive, holographic sun. Floating circles and vertical lines of the same shade of orange orbited the faux-star as its light pulsed with the beat.

Embedded in three of the room's four walls were dimly lit nooks like the one she just walked through. However on the fourth wall, there was no nook, but a dozen feet up the wall was a DJ in his booth. Tali zoomed in with her helmet and found to her surprise that the DJ was, in fact, a Jiralhanae. Rather than mauling anyone though, the intimidating alien had one hand to the side of his head and the other was waving in time with the music. She supposed that not every Jiralhanae was a pirate or savage. Good. She didn't want to have to shoot another brute in the face while on shore leave.

The Quarian was only in the room for a minute or two, and already she could feel the music taking over. Her head began to bob to the beat as her hips began to sway. Eventually, she could no longer contain herself. She then shimmied her way on to the dance floor. She shook her hips, waved her arms, stretched her legs and closed her eyes, completely losing herself in the euphoric, blissful beat that was the Siege of Madrigal.

After all the stresses of the last few days, Chief taking the slipspace data from her, the revelation of an AI's presence on the _Normandy, _Tali needed this. She needed to dance, to forget her troubles, if only for a time.

…

Wrex flew through the air, slamming into a cliff face and landing on the ground face-first. He got up onto his hands and knees and spat out some orange blood, along with a couple of teeth. The teeth weren't a huge loss. Like most other reptilian species, Krogan go through many sets of teeth in their lifetimes. Factor in his race's legendary regenerative abilities, and he'll have replacement teeth in about a week. Right now, the Krogan had far bigger worries.

Wrex got up as the beast lumbered towards him. It was a large, bipedal creature with thick grey hide and a pair of long claws on each hand. On either side of its face were long tusks that looked to be about four feet long. It roared at Wrex as it charged.

Wrex smiled. He heard about gutas by talking with Human mercenaries in bars across the Terminus Systems and Attican Traverse. These creatures were supposed to be big, powerful, and quickly develop a mean streak if you've got enough quad to poke it with a stick enough times. So as soon as Wrex heard that the _Normandy _was going to Reach, he naturally _had _to hunt one down. As soon as the ship docked in New Alexandria, Wrex wasted no time in renting an aircar and driving it to the nearby mountains where these fearsome beasts are said to call home. He got lucky. It only took him a few minutes find a rutting male and provoke it into a fight.

Wrex biotically charged over to a rocky outcropping once the guta was close enough. The beast slammed slammed into the cliff face head first. The Krogan let out a hardy laugh at the monster's expense. Tracking down the most ornery wildlife on any given planet and then picking a fight with it was Wrex's favorite hobby whenever the mercenary had some extra time to kill. His love of fighting rabid animals was genetic. Clan Urdnot was a beast-slaying clan with a proud tradition of doing battle with the most dangerous fauna (and even flora) that Tuchanka had to offer. Beast-slaying was such a large part of the clan's battle song that their rite of passage, their very entry into adulthood, was to fight a thresher maw and live to boast about it.

When Wrex took the rite all those decades ago, he didn't just survive his fight with the thresher maw; he killed it. It was a feat that no other Urdnot had been able to accomplish since.

He jumped off the outcropping and landed on the ground with a thud. He unfurled his shotgun, the only weapon he brought with him, and opened fire on the guta. The beast was still stunned from running straight into a rock wall, but the feeling of bullets striking its hide aroused it back into its rage. The guta was so far proving to be a good challenge. It was a little on the slow side, but it had an extremely thick hide and hit like a tomkah.

The beast snarled as it turned towards Wrex and roared. It roared with such force that it felt like a mighty wind was blowing past the Krogan. The sound of the roar itself was so loud and deep that it shook him to his very bones. Breath smelled oddly nice though. Sure, there was the usual scent of rotten flesh, but there was the sweet smell of fruit mixed in as well. Apparently, gutas were omnivores. Fine by Wrex. He knew of plenty of creatures with vegetarian diets who would kill you for territorial purposes. Sometimes, they were even more dangerous than the predators.

After the guta roared at him, it stomped over to Wrex, raising its hand to smack the Krogan with another sweeping backhand. Wrex aimed his shotgun at fired at the guta's hand mid-swing. It pulled its hand back as it howled in pain. It then raised its foot to stomp the Krogan into the dirt. Wrex smiled as he used biotics to push the raised foot up, throwing the guta off-balance. The bipedal monster fell on his back. The Krogan jogged up its legs and hopped onto the creature's pot belly and aimed his shotgun downwards.

The guta wasn't going down that easily. With its huge hands, it grabbed the Krogan and threw him across the valley. Wrex hit the ground hard, rolling across the dirt and gravel until he stopped at the edge of a steep slope. As he got up, he looked down and noted that the slope went down for at least a hundred feet into a forest below.

That's when Wrex got a crazy idea.

He turned back toward the guta and noticed that it was charging at him again. Perfect. Wrex's body softly glowed blue as he got his biotics ready. He stood his ground, his shotgun aimed and at the ready. Judging from the slavering drool that had accumulated around the guta's mouth, Wrex had gotten the animal good and pissed. He patiently waited for the guta to enter just the right range…

…Now!

Once the guta was just a few feet away from the slope's edge, Wrex fired a biotic throw at one of the guta's feet as it charged, tripping the massive creature. It tripped and fell over the edge of the slope just as Wrex jumped off the slope after it. He got a hold of the guta's tail, which was short and stumpy in comparison to its arms.

Wrex and the guta rolled and tumbled down the mountain slope, hitting every rock that stuck out on the way down. Wrex gritted his teeth as he felt like he was in a tornado of stone and dust. The ride was banging him up pretty bad, but he wasn't a pansy-ass Salarian. He was Krogan. He could take it.

The guta finally ceased its tumble at the foot of the slope. It lied on its belly, groaning in pain as it tried to get up. Wrex seized his chance. He jogged up the animal's back and arrived at its head. He aimed his shotgun at the top of the animal's skull and fired.

While blood splattered out of the wound and Wrex could see bone, the shots failed to travel further than that. Apparently, the guta's skull was much thicker than Wrex realized. It shot up and shook its head around, trying to shake the Krogan off, but the mercenary had grabbed hold of one of the guta's tusks with one hand, the other still holding the shotgun. As the creature violently shook its head, Wrex realized he had a clear line of sight on the guta's throat. He waited for the guta to shake its head in such a way that it brought Wrex's shotgun a little closer….

*BANG*

Blood gushed out of the fresh gunshot wound in the guta's neck. Wrex let go of the tusk and landed on his feet, then turned to the guta with a mad grin. The guta collapsed onto its knees, and then onto its belly as it quickly bled out. Wrex walked up to the beast and fired several more shots into the guta's neck, aiming for the spinal cord, to finish it off. After a few blasts, Wrex looked toward its face and noted the faded color of the guta's eyes. It was dead.

He smiled. Now that it was dead, he needed to gather up some wood and start a fire. He couldn't wait to find out what guta meat tasted like. He had a feeling that it would be tender and juicy, though he wasn't looking forward to disemboweling and dismembering the corpse. That hide would be a bitch to cut through. He turned around to head into the forest to look for firewood.

And then saw a group of Humans in front of him. All but one of them looked to be children. They all wore blue uniforms with the title 'Alliance Star Scouts' framed around the Human Systems Alliance insignia on the upper left parts of their shirts. They all stood there in awe.

"….How did you do all that?" one of the children, a female with yellow hair, asked.

"…..Oh…you know…" Wrex replied, racking his brain for an appropriate answer. "Work out. Plenty of rest."

He shrugged. "Eat your green vegetables."

….

"Hoo, boy." the technician said with a vaguely New Yorker accent as he waved his omni-tool over the Chief's damaged chest plate on the table. "This thing got warped _bad_."

"What do you mean?" The Master Chief asked. He stood beside the technician, the various pieces of his armor spread out on the table in front of both of them. This left him wearing nothing but his undersuit, and as a consequence, he felt naked and vulnerable. The two men were standing in one of Fleet Command HQ's many armories where weapons and armor were stored, maintained and repaired.

"Your armor got this way after you got into a nasty scrap with a biotic, right?" the technician asked.

"Yeah." Chief replied. He left out the part that Saren Arterius was the biotic in question. Need-to-know basis, and all.

"Well, it shows." the technician explained. "Those warps he hit ya with did a bigger number on your armor than ya realized. See, warps work by creating rapidly shifting mass effect fields that shred a target to pieces, kinda like a disruptor torpedo. As a result, the armor is severely weakened. It's not gonna do you no good no more."

"Looks fine to me." Chief said as he looked at the chest plate. Indeed, save for the gash running diagonally across its surface that was filled in with omni-gel, it still looked to be in good condition.

"That's the real bitch about it." the technician replied. "It works on a _molecular _level, so the damage is invisible to the naked eye. But believe me, it's crap now. Observe."

He opened a drawer and fished out a large one-handed hammer. He then smacked it against the chest plate. The Spartan saw tiny bits of armor fly through the air and tiny spider web cracks appear where the hammer struck. "See? All those warps made the armor more brittle. And the subsequent biotic explosions sure as hell didn't help. Shit, it's actually a miracle that your armor held up as well as it did. If it didn't, your chest cavity would've been molecularly rearranged too."

"Guess that's why they call me lucky." Chief said. "So basically, you're saying I need new armor?"

"Yeah." the technician said with a nod. "But finding a replacement set for ya won't be easy. This is a custom-made MJONIR MK-VI armor set. I highly doubt Alliance R&D have any more of these in stock for ya. I think you're gonna have to start lookin' into commercial armors."

The technician opened yet another drawer and pulled out a datapad. He then handed it to the Chief. The Spartan read through it, noting that it was a catalogue for several different brands of armor sets. "What I would recommend to you would depend on what you're lookin' for in an armor set. You probably like your armor nice and thick, so I'd recommend somethin' out of Kassa Fabrication's Colossus line. However, if you're _really _worried about gettin' messed up by biotics again, I'd go with Armax Arsenal's Heavy Predator armor. That shit's molecularly reinforced to withstand biotics. The armor itself might be a little too thin for your liking, but that's what the juiced-up shield generator's for. Also, the visor on the helmet does have a polarization function, so you can keep your face hidden. I'm assuming you're big keepin' your face hidden. Kinda creepy to be honest, but hey, whatever floats your boat."

"…Thanks." Chief said before walking towards the door out of the armory.

"Might wanna lose that undersuit and change into some marine overalls." the technician advised. "Fewer people on the street starin' at ya that way."

…

Ashley Williams looked up at the twenty-foot-high statue that stood in the middle of the plaza in front of Fleet Command Headquarters. Carved from solid marble, it was of a UNSC Marine, clad in the bulky combat gear of the 26th Century. He was holding an MA5B assault rifle, and though his face bore several scars and even a black eye, he also wore a smirk on his face. At the base of the statue was a plaque with the title of the statue engraved on it. _Bruised, Bloodied, But Never Beaten._

Ashley didn't consider herself the artistic type, but she always liked that statue.

She reached into her pocket and felt the two ticket pads in her pocket. She then activated her omni-tool to check her watch. Half past ten. She ground her teeth in nervousness. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. She couldn't decide if this was crazy, stupid, or a little of both. But she had to at least try. When she heard that they would be arriving on Reach today of all days, and knowing how withdrawn the Master Chief had been since Eletania (more so than usual), Ashley was never one to ignore signs. She believed in a higher power, and when that power drops a couple of hints, you're supposed to pick up on them.

For the upteenth time, she turned her head to the door to the building. It was fairly busy, with a lot of Humans in dress blues entering and exiting and sometimes even just standing outside the entrance. She also saw the occasional alien, also dressed in military uniform, most likely liaisons to Fleet Command. It was then that she saw a man walk out of the building.

He was obviously much, much taller than the other Humans there. Six and a half feet tall, at least. He was dressed in Alliance overalls; blue t-shirt and blue pants, same as her and the rest of the _Normandy's _crew on shore leave. She could also see that his head was shaved and most notable of all, his skin tone was ghostly pale. The height and pale skin made it obvious who he was. She took a deep breath to summon up her courage and walked over.

As she walked closer towards the man, details in his face became more visible. For one, he looked fairly young, no older than thirty. Hardly surprising, in retrospect. Between all the time he spent in cryo during the Human-Covenant War and biological augmentations enhancing his physical fitness and vitality, it made sense that he would look ten years younger than he actually was. Surrounding his firm mouth and covering his strong jaw and wide chin was a layer of thick stubble. His neck was a bit thick, but she knew it was all muscle. She was also able to make out several scars. A small diagonal one across his chin, another small one on his nose, yet another small one on his right eyebrow, and finally one large scar, vertically crossing his left eye. Speaking of eyes, his eyes also drew much of her attention. They were bright blue and had a certain fierceness to them. Yet at the same time, there was also a certain weariness to them, a perception further substantiated by the visible bags under those eyes. Though he looked like a man in his early thirties, it was those weary eyes that betrayed his true age.

And on top of all that, he was actually kinda handsome. In a rugged, animalistic sort of way. Ashley stuffed that thought into the back of her head. That wasn't why she was here. "Chief?" Ashley asked as she closed the distance between them.

"Ashley?" the man asked in that low-pitched, raspy voice that could only be the Master Chief's. Ashley was quietly relieved that she approached the right guy. Even with the height and pale skin, she couldn't be one hundred percent sure. She never really saw his face before. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you." Ashley asked. "Is your armor getting fixed?"

Chief shook his head. "It was deemed beyond repair. May have to buy a whole new suit of armor commercially. Why were you waiting for me out here?"

"Oh! Uh…." Ashley stumbled as she realized that she didn't really plan this part in detail. Knowing that the Master Chief wasn't big on small talk, she decided to cut right to the chase. She pulled the ticket pads out of her pocket. "Wanna go to the games with me?"

Chief simply stood there. All he did was raise his scarred eyebrow. "Not _a _specific game, mind you. More like a series of games. That's kinda how the New Alexandria Colosseum does things." she explained.

"When did you get those tickets?" Chief asked.

"Not long after we left Eletania. Bought them on the extranet as soon as I heard we'd be on Reach by the tenth." Ashley explained.

"And you're inviting me because…?" Chief further questioned.

"Because it seems like you've been kinda stressed out lately and might need to unwind a little." Ashley answered as plainly as she could.

Chief sighed. "I don't think so." Chief said.

"Why not?" Ashley asked.

"Because I should be heading down to the markets to look for new armor." Chief answered.

Ashley took another deep breath. Now it was time to get _really _brave. "Come on, Chief. You can do that anytime. Meanwhile, the games start in just a couple of hours! Colosseum's on the other side of the city, but we can still make it there in time if we hurry."

"I can't. I have more important things to do." Chief said.

"Then what am I supposed to do with this second ticket?" Ashley asked.

"I dunno, invite someone else." Chief replied. "Like Kaidan."

"Can't. He's at the Errera Casino with Garrus and Tali." Ashley replied.

"Joker?" Chief tried.

"Still in the _Normandy._ Vrolik's Syndrome kinda keeps him from wandering around like us." Ashley replied.

"Dr. Chakwas?"

"Collecting seashells down by the beach."

"Pressly?"

"Visiting family."

"N'tho?"

"Going on a burrito binge up in the restaurant district."

"Adams?"

"Shopping for new engine parts."

"Monica?"

"Oddly convinced that there's a Varky Varren's Pizza Palace somewhere in this city and doesn't plan on giving up until she finds one."

"Liara?"

"AI-sitting Cortana. On your order, I might add."

"Lawrence?"

"Busy with trading and resupplying the _Normandy_."

"Grenado?"

"Looking for prostitutes of either gender in the shadier parts of town. I personally don't approve, but I know it's not my place to judge."

"Wrex?"

"Honestly? Don't know where he is. When I asked, he just told me he was gonna go on an 'enthusiastic walk through the woods.'"

After answering the Chief's last question, she held up the two ticket pads and gave the Spartan a hopeful smile. Chief screwed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why are you being so insistent about this?" Chief asked.

"Because, to put it bluntly, you need this. Sir." Ashley said. Chief opened his eyes and gave the marine a skeptical stare. "Come on, Chief." she went on. "You've been through a lot in the last few weeks. It's not healthy to keep yourself wound up in this kind of situation. You need to loosen up. I mean, when was the last time you had any real fun?"

"Well over a hundred years ago." Chief deadpanned.

"_Exactly._" Ashley concluded.

The Chief let go of his nose and crossed his arms over his chest, his fingers drumming against his bicep as he looked off in thought. _Come on, Chief._ Ashley thought to herself. _Take the bait._

The Chief then released a defeated sigh. "Alright. You win." Chief relented.

"Hell yeah!" Ashley cheered as she pumped both fists in the air. "Come on! There's a transit terminal right over here!" She said as she jogged over to the nearby transit terminal, her new Spartan companion reluctantly giving chase.

Ashley didn't believe in coincidences. She believed that everything happened for a reason. There was a reason that the _Normandy _docked in New Alexandria on the same day that Colosseum Season opened. It was because John-117 needed a friend right now. And Ashley's job was to give him one.

…

**Given how long this chapter took, it really is disgusting how short it is. I was actually planning to make it much longer than this, but it was taking long enough already to put this out there so I had to cut this chapter in half. The other planned half of this chapter will be the next chapter. Hopefully it will be longer, or at least more entertaining than this one.**

**If you're wondering what distracted me this time, the answer is life. I won't go into detail, because this isn't a freaking live-journal, but let's just say that my life has been kind of hectic for the last month or so. All those real life stresses can make it difficult to focus on your writing. Hopefully things will settle down within the next couple of weeks and I can focus on my favorite hobby again.**

**Thanks to all the reviewers who offered suggestions on what the Master Chief's face should look like. I noticed that the reviews were kind of split on how old he should look; whether younger than he actually is or older than he actually is. I sought a compromise. In this story, the Master Chief will look pretty young, early thirties or so. Makes sense when you think about it. ONI designed Spartans not only to be in prime physical condition, but to also remain in that state a lot longer than any normal Human would. Look at Sergeant Johnson, a SPARTAN-I. Halo Canon says he's **_**at least**_** in his 60's, but he looks like a man half that age. And then of course, there was all the time Chief spent in cryo in between missions throughout the Human-Covenant War. However, the tiredness in Chief's eyes will remind the other characters in the story, as well as the readers, that he's not **_**that**_** young.**

**Shout-out to etoli on deviantART whose piece entitled "siblings" gave me the idea for what N'tho's civvies clothes would look like. You can find that pic on Spartan-II-Project's deviantART gallery, since that was where it was submitted to. Also, shoot-out to TrickyAcid on Youtube, because he kept bugging me to plug him more.**

**Some Mass Effect fans will no doubt raise their eyebrows over the assertion that Urdnot is a beast-slaying clan, but I think it makes sense. Wrex himself said in ME2 that each clan has its own unique rite of passage. I figured that whatever a clan's rite of passage entails reflects that clan's unique culture in some way. So if Clan Urdnot's rite of passage is to pick a fight with a thresher maw and live, then I don't think it's much of a stretch to guess that monster hunting is a popular hobby within that clan.**

**Next chapter should be up within the next few weeks. Hopefully I won't be distracted as I - NEW ROOSTERTEETH MINECRAFT LET'S PLAY IS UP!**

…**..Ha! Oh Ray! You and your hatred of cakes!**


	37. John's Day-Off

…..

1234 Hours, March 10th, 2683

New Alexandria Colosseum, Surface of Reach

Epsilon Eridani System, Forerunner Cluster

…

The first thing that the Master Chief noticed as he climbed out of the air car was the stares. Or rather, the lack thereof. Whenever he wandered in public places, the Chief was resigned to the fact that people were going to stare at him. How could they not? He was a Spartan. Spartans walking around in public tend to draw a lot of attention.

But not today though. As the public transit air car took off behind them as he and Ashley made their way through the parking lot, the Chief couldn't help but notice all the people who were distinctly _not _in awe or amazement of him. Sure, a few people spared a glance at him to note how unusually tall he was for a Human, his battle scars, or his pale skin, but after noting those features, they went right back to their usual business, apparently writing him off as nothing more than a very odd-looking man. It was nice, not being in the spotlight for a change. He quickly realized that the reason fewer people took notice of him was because he was almost never seen in public outside of his armor, which meant no one knew what his face looked like. For a split-second, he wondered why he didn't go out in public sans armor more.

In the next split-second he remembered as he patted his thigh to check for a pistol that wasn't there. He was unarmed and unarmored. He was, by Spartan standards, naked. Granted, this was no battlefield, so it didn't seem all that likely that someone would try to kill him here. Then again, that's what he thought back in that bar on the Citadel, and he remembered how well that turned out.

The Chief looked up and up and up at the New Alexandria Colosseum. Across the front entrance was a banner that read 'opening day' in large, stark white print against a deep blue background. His eyes zipped down to the entrance, where scores of fans were being funneled through the opening gates. He looked around the parking lot and noted yet more fans climbing out of their air cars to make for the gates. They passed by one family with a distressed father looking for a lost ticket. He then received a grateful hug from his young son after finding it. They then passed by a group of men not walking towards the gate, but instead setting up lawn chairs, coolers, and a portable BBQ. The scent of burgers and hot dogs wafting up the grill and into his nostrils reminded the Chief that he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, which was several hours ago.

"Man, I missed this." Ashley said aloud. "It's been years since the last time I was here for Colosseum season at all. Let alone opening day."

"You've been on Reach before?" Chief asked.

"Grew up all over Alliance space, remember?" Ashley asked. "I spent most of my high school years here on Reach." She then half-heartedly pumped a fist into the air. "Go Go Gutas." she said.

Chief raised his eyebrow at that. "The Gutas. Duvall High's sports team. I was actually on their lutaball team back in those days. I planned on enlisting after graduating high school, so I figured it was a good way to practice."

Chief nodded, understanding why experience in a sports team was a desirable trait in recruits. "Learn the importance of teamwork, develop a drive to win…." the Spartan began to list.

"And learn how to take a hit and not cry about it." Ashley pointed out. "I wasn't a blitzer or a runner. I was a linewoman. My job was to get into fights in the middle of the field while the other guys did the stuff that won them MVP awards." she explained, sounding like she wasn't exactly happy about having an underappreciated role in her team.

"Everyone on a team has a role to play." Chief told her.

"Tell that to Liam Scott." Ashley scoffed.

"Who?" Chief asked.

"My high school team's star player." she answered. "He was our primary runner. Our team's strategy involved clearing a path for him and the other runners once one of them picked up the ball and then they'd just sprint down the field. After a while, Scott became the team's go-to guy for that. Don't get me wrong, he was good. He was second only to Jenny Grigori in raw speed, and he was number one in dodging. He could sidestep like nobody's business. Problem was, he _knew _all that, and was damned insufferable about it."

Ashley chuckled a little. "Scott would brag after every game about how he scored yet _another_ touchdown for the team or how the other team's blitzers couldn't stop him or how he'd occasionally get lucky and punch someone's lights out on his way up the field. Ego started catching up with him in the second half of the season, though. He developed a reputation for being a prima donna all across the county's high school Lutaball circuit, and that painted a bullseye on his back. Other teams started to go out of their way to hurt him just to put him in his place."

Ashley smiled evilly. "We _may _have failed to notice the occasional blitzer making it past our line to chase down Scott. By the time we made it to the playoffs, Scott had more than a few scars and bruises to show for it. Made him a little more humble, I'll tell you that."

"Little petty, don't you think?" Chief asked.

"In retrospect, yeah." Ashley admitted. "But hey, I hear Scott's a CDF Lieutenant now, and his men don't fantasize about giving him a swirly so I can only assume that he learned his lesson about the importance of tact and humility." Chief only rolled his eyes in response.

The colosseum seemed to grow larger as Ashley and the Chief walked closer. Chief noted that the structure was so tall that he had to strain his neck to look all the way up to the top. Masses of people were funneled through five doorways one-by-one. Chief and Ashley each walked through a ticket stop, and handed their ticket pads to a clerk. He marked the pads as approved and sent them on their way through.

When they entered the colosseum's interior, Chief's eyes had to adjust to the sudden decrease in light due to the bright sunshine outside. The hallways were packed with people in search of their seat, a concession stand, or a restroom, their collective conversations and yelling and footsteps all reverberated off the concrete and metal walls, making it so noisy that the Spartan almost wished his sense of hearing wasn't so good.

"Come on!" Ashley shouted over, and inadvertently contributing to, the noise. "Our seats are on the second level! Up the stairs!" She then guided Chief up a flight of stairs leading up to the next level. As he climbed up, Chief spared a brief glance out the large windows looking out on the city, the air cars floating and zipping past one another high above the ground. He turned back to Ashley as she led him through the crowds. The scents of every cooked food he had ever smelled and then some wafted into the Spartan's nostrils as the two of them walked past several food stands that offered everything from pizza to hot dogs to cheeseburgers to fried moa. They walked through a miniature food court and bar as they walked out of the colosseum halls and into the stands proper.

As the two of them made their way to their seats, Chief looked out on the field below. He was surprised to find that it was not, in fact, a field. Rather, it looked to be an extremely large 'grid' of sorts, a series of intersecting black lines creating a sea of perfect squares on a wide chrome surface covering an area of several acres. It made him wonder just what the Colosseum games would exactly entail. It didn't take them long to find and take their seats.

"Crap!" Ashley snapped as she suddenly slapped her forehead. "I forgot the programs! Be right back." And with that, the marine got up out of her seat and rushed up back up the steps into the colosseum interior. While she was gone, Chief continued to take in his surroundings.

There looked to be tens of thousands of spectators here. The sound of their collective talking, yelling, whistling, howling, roaring, and chanting was nearly deafening. Chief couldn't help but look up at the top-most bleachers, wondering if perhaps there was a sniper somewhere up there, getting a bead on his head. He took solace in the fact that, in an area as crowded as this, it was unlikely that an assassin would see this as a desirable spot. Too many witnesses. Additionally, without his iconic armor, the Chief blended into the crowd far more naturally. The assassin would be looking for a heavily armored super-soldier; not a large man who's just here to watch a game.

Chief's gaze then turned down from the top bleachers to the rest of the crowd. The family men here with their children. The off-world tourist excited to indulge somewhere new. The vendors patrolling the aisles, offering hot dogs, peanuts and other types of food. The rows of shirtless teamsters with painted bodies, spelling out the name of the team they're rooting for.

The Spartan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. This was a civilian event. And it suddenly occurred to the Chief that this was the first time in his entire life that he attended an event like this. It was an utterly alien feeling, being there in that colosseum, surrounded not by countless soldiers but countless citizens.

It wasn't long before Ashley came back. "I've got programs!" she ecstatically said as she handed a data pad and an earpiece to the Master Chief.

"What are these for?" he asked.

"They're so we can listen in on the games' commentators." Ashley explained as she stuck her ear-piece in. "I know a lot of fans like to make their own calls, but I feel that the experience isn't complete without some colorful commentary."

Chief shrugged as he put his own earpiece in. "Ladies and Gentleman!" a voice announced over the colosseum's speakers. "The games will begin in ten minutes!"

It was then that Chief suddenly heard a voice in his earpiece. "What is _up,_ everybody?" the voice greeted. "I'm Geoff Ramsey, joining me as always is my co-commentator Jack Patillo."

"Hey." A second, deeper-toned voice added.

"And this is Colosseum Season, opening day, and _holy crap, _this place is _packed _today!" the first commentator, Geoff, went on.

"Well, it _is _opening day and these people have been hibernating for the last six months, waiting for Spring. Well, now Spring is here and it brings the games with it." Jack explained.

"Yeah, how WAS your winter, Jack?"

"Oh it was pretty good. I was on Earth. Austrailia, to be specific."

"Is it true what they say about that country?"

"Yes it's true. Every living thing _is _trying to kill you on that part of the planet."

"I know right?"

"So what about you, Geoff? What have you been up to in the off-season?"

"Oh, you know. No really big vacations, except maybe for a hiking trip up to the Highland Mountains. Mostly just been spending my days with the wife and daughter. Milly's doing good, by the way."

"Awesome. SO. What do we have lined up today?"

"Well, we got a full day ahead of us." Geoff began. "First up, we've got the best-of-three arena combat game featuring two teams hailing from Earth; the Edmonton Blood Dragons and the Rhode Island Reckoner Knights. Those two are gonna duke it out in a series of three games, first some slayer, followed by a dominion game, and cap it all off with a good-old-fashioned capture the flag game. And, as always, we will have our good friends at Achievement Hunter provide some additional entertainment between the matches. And after that will be the lutaball game, the opener for our very own New Alexadria Nobles as they go up against the visiting team, hailing all the way from the Citadel, the Bachjret Rebels. Jack, what can we expect from the Rebels?"

"Well, the Rebels have kind of a weird lineup, to be honest." Jack answered. "For those not in the lutaball-know, Citadel teams tend to have a lot of species variety, which usually results in well-rounded teams capable of playing a wide variety of tactics. And the Rebels seem to be no exception at first glance. You've got Asari runners, you've got Human blitzers, and you've got a big strong Turian as the center-lineman. But when you look at their stats, that's when you realize that they're actually a lot bashier than the average Citadel team. For one, their fastest players, their Asari runners, have only clocked in at 18 mph, which is kinda middle-of-the-road in this league. Additionally if you look at their training bios, little emphasis was placed on their agility training and more on combat. Basically, these guys weren't trained for hail-mary passes or crazy maneuvers. These guys were trained to straight up hurt people."

"Yeah, I think I get what you're talking about there, Jack." Geoff replied. "I'm looking at this Turian center-lineman you mentioned. He's new to the league, his name is Minox Torsivian, number nine, and _good God, _this guy is a monster. Six foot seven, weighing in at 347 pounds, can bench press over 400 pounds, where did Coach Steiner find this guy?"

"On Digeris." Jack quickly and matter-of-factly answered.

"Yeesh, they must grow 'em as big as dicks on Digeris." Geoff said.

"That they do Geoff." Jack said. "Anyway, I think it goes without saying that the Nobles can't even _hope _to out-bash these guys, so they're going to need to rely on outrunning them and outmaneuvering them."

"And staying the hell away from Torsivian, _Jesus Christ. _Turians should not be allowed to grow to that size." Geoff went on.

"Feeling a little insecure there Geoff?" Jack asked.

"My first wife left for me for a Turian." Geoff joked.

"I thought you only married one time?" Jack joked back.

"That you know of. There's a lot you don't know about me Jack. _I've seen some things, man. And some stuff! I wouldn't recommend it!_" Geoff went on, earning a little laughter from Jack.

"Okay, so that's the lutaball game…." Jack said. "But first, a few rounds of arena combat. Let's check out the stats on the Blood Dragons and Reckoner Knights….."

Geoff and Jack went on to talk about the stats of both arena combat teams. Their wins, losses and ties, their strengths and weaknesses, who were the veterans and who were the newbies, and liberally applied to it all was Geoff and Jack making risqué jokes and observations about the players. The jokes would get the occasional laugh out of Ashley. Chief didn't really understand why. The jokes were a little too immature for his tastes. Chief was pretty much lost for a while, the commentary degrading into an audio-blur of numbers, names and jokes. But when the two commentators started talking about what weapons the players on the team were best with, Chief immediately perked up.

"So on the Blood Dragons we've got newcomer Mark Nutt, who was traded to the Blood Dragons from the London Excaliburs last year, and he will be the team's designated marksman." Jack explained. "His weapons of choice being the M-96 Mattock and M-92 Mantis."

"Don't get me wrong Jack, Mark Nutt's a great player." Geoff said. "But I've talked to some of his…."

Chief pulled out his earpiece. "Why do the athletes need weapons?" he asked Ashley.

"Huh?" Ashley asked as she pulled out her earpiece.

"Why do they need weapons?" Chief asked.

"Cuz…..that's how arena combat works?" Ashley tried to guess.

Chief glared at her.

"Oh. Right. Frozen for over a hundred years. Still a lot of stuff you missed. I should explain." Ashley said. "Arena combat is basically a publicly available combat simulator."

"So, this is a military war-game we're watching?" Chief asked.

"Not really." Ashley replied. "There's a few Alliance navy and marine-sponsored teams, but it's mostly privately-owned teams and civilian athletes."

"So this is basically a combat sim that exists purely for entertainment purposes?" Chief asked.

"Yeah. Now you got it!" Ashley said with a nod. She paused. "….And I _just_ realized how messed up that must sound to you."

"It _does _strike me as a little strange, to be honest." Chief replied.

"If this makes you uncomfortable, we can leave." Ashley suggested.

"No. You paid good money for these seats." Chief replied. "Besides, now I'm actually kind of curious about how this all works."

"Ladies and gentleman!" the announcer boomed over the speakers. "Are you ready for some ARENAAAAAAA COOOOOMBAAAAAAAT?!" The crowd cheered and stomped in agreement. Their cheering was so loud, the Chief's naturally high pain threshold was the only thing keeping him from covering his ears. Thankfully, Ashley didn't take part in the cheering and only applauded with a smile. It was then that the lines of the grid began to glow gold. "First game; Slayer! The Arena; Ragnarok!"

It was then that three-dimensional shapes began to rise from the floor, reminding the Chief of a 3D printer. The shapes were covered by criss-crossing golden grid lines on a blue surface. The more they rose, the more the Chief was able to recognize all the shapes; the walls, the rocks, the trees, two buildings of Forerunner-design, one on each end of the arena. He even recognized the shapes of several vehicles forming at each building. Once the shapes stopped rising, the textures 'popped in,' layer by layer. The rocks took on their jagged form, the trees were filled with foliage, the ground was carpeted in a layer of dirt and patches of grass, and the buildings took on the signature silver-grey coloration of Forerunner architecture. A waterfall appeared next to one of the buildings, and it seemed to feed a river that flowed down the entire length of the map.

It was then that the athletes suddenly appeared on the far sides of the map, eight players on each side. How they appeared, the Chief had no idea. A flash of blue and suddenly they were there, as if by some kind of teleportation. "At the red base; THE EDMONTOOOOOON BLOOOOOD DRAGOOOOONS!"

The Blood Dragons welcomed the cheers from their end of the map, where the waterfall was. Their armor was white with a blood-red dragon silhouette printed across the left side of the chest, shoulder and all the way to the back, hence the team name. Their helmets had only a slit as a visor that was, naturally, blood-red in color. Basically, the armor was deliberately designed to resemble the armor of a medieval knight.

"And at the blue base; THE RECKONEEEEEEEEERRRRRR KNIIIIIIIIIGHTS!" the announcer introduced. The Reckoner Knights pumped their fists in response to their own cheering fans from their end of the arena, the shoreline where the river emptied out into a sea. Similar to the Blood Dragons, the Reckoner Knights' armor design was also heavily inspired by medieval knights, but with a much more gothic slant. The armor was a slightly darker shade of grey than the Blood Dragons with blue woven in as a secondary color. Their gauntlets and left shoulder pads were covered in spikes while the right shoulder pad had a Human skull on it. Loosely wrapped around their waists was not one, but two leather belts that also had spikes on them. Finally, the helmet had a black Y-shaped visor on it.

"They look ridiculous." Chief noted.

"True." Ashley conceded. "But don't let that fool you. They may care more about aesthetics than real soldiers, but those hard suits function just as well as yours or mine."

"SLAYER!" the announcer shouted as a giant three appeared on the jumbo-tron. Followed by a two. A one. Finally, a zero appeared on the gigantic screen with a flashing background and an artificially-generated air horn. As soon as the air horn blew, the Blood Dragons and Reckoner Knights immediately went to work. Several members on both teams immediately scrambled to their bases' vehicles. On this map, each team had access to a warthog, a couple of mongooses, a mantis, and oddly enough, a ghost and a banshee. A few went inside their team's base and came back out a second later with a larger weapon. The rest of each team hopped into odd devices that shot them half-way across the map from their bases. Chief believed that he knew what those were. The Spartan recalled the research he did on the Battle of Installation 00 on board the _Mt. Everest _a while back_. _He read in a few after-action reports that marines had encountered similar devices on the Ark. They were officially called 'gravity launchers,' though the marines colloquially called them 'man cannons.'

It only took a few seconds for the center of the map to erupt into complete chaos. Geoff and Jack immediately began chattering again, but Chief pulled out his earpiece so he could focus more on the match. The Blood Dragons and Reckoner Knights were charging at one another, each team firing their weapons wildly at the other. The first thing that stuck out to the Chief was how unprofessional the athletes were. Few of them utilized the rocks and trees on the map that were no doubt intended to be used as cover. Instead, most of them chose to take the 'man cannons' straight to the frontline and just run around shooting at anything that wasn't friendly. No tactical positioning, no coordinated strikes, no drawing of battle lines, just running and gunning.

The vehicles operated on the same principal. After one banshee shot down the other, the victorious banshee began bombing runs, shooting fuel rods at any Dragons on the ground. The warthogs and ghosts drove up and down the map in wide circles, the turret gunners firing on any hostile passers-by that came into their crosshairs. One of the drivers, a Blood Dragon, had the sense to stay still long enough for his gunner to finish off a couple of Reckoner Knights, but that just made the hog a sitting duck for the Knights' banshee, which destroyed the warthog in short order. The Knights would have had vehicular supremacy if they hadn't lost their mantis early on to plasma grenades and the Blood Dragons' own mantis was still stomping around, terrorizing the Knights. It seemed like having an assault mech bear down on them was about the only thing that sent these players into cover.

Whenever an athlete fell though, there was no blood. They simply fell over and lay there for a few seconds, making the Chief think that the armor locked up after taking a certain amount of damage. Even stranger, after a few seconds of stillness, the prone player disappeared with the same blue warping effect with which they appeared at the beginning of the match. They then reappeared at a seemingly random spot on the map that was often vaguely on 'their' side of the arena.

Even stranger were the vehicles. Whenever they were destroyed, they exploded into fireballs just as they did in a real battlefield, but when they do, the players just seem to fall out. The Reckoner Knight that was flying their banshee was shot down by a Blood Dragon with a Spartan Laser. Chief actually saw the Reckoner Knight fall _through _a large piece of banshee wreckage as though he were a ghost before hitting the ground and teleporting to a random spot to leap back into the fight.

Chief checked the scoreboard. The Reckoner Knights were winning so far at 38 kills to 34. First to 100 kills would win the match. 9 minutes and 28 seconds left. Suddenly the teams' chaotic fighting styles made a bit more sense. There were no objectives to be seized, no positions to be attacked or defended, it was all about racking up the bigger kill count. They weren't bothering with making tactical strikes or taking defensive positions because that wasn't the goal. The goal was to accumulate as many kills as possible in the time allotted and the best way to do that, in their view, was to attack as aggressively and relentlessly as possible, to build and maintain momentum.

Occasionally, a weapons pod would mysteriously appear on the map, always in front of a player. The player would then open the pod and grabbed whatever was inside, usually a heavy weapon of some kind. The more the match went on, the more powerful and exotic weapons appeared on the battlefield. Rocket launchers, sticky launchers, some Sangheili weapons including needlers and fuel rod guns, as well as a few alien weapons that Chief didn't recognize; possibly forged by all the 'new' alien races in the 27th Century. Chief checked the weapon layouts of the active players. One had an alien pistol called the 'scorpion,' a white pistol with a curvy shape that had what looked like a fish bowl where the chamber should be. It turned out to be a sticky launcher as the player who used it, a Blood Dragon, fired sticky grenades at the warthog, destroying it and taking out two Knights in the process. Another alien weapon the Chief didn't recognize was something called an 'M-55 argus,' an assault rifle that fired a powerful three-shot burst at long range. A Reckoner Knight used it to take down two Dragons and damage a third's shield before the third ran into cover.

The whole time, the crowd cheered every time a vehicle blew up, every time someone got a 'killing spree,' every time someone killed more than two enemy players within seconds of each kill.

Chief then spotted a Blood Dragon emerge from the Red Base with a sniper rifle in hand. Chief checked the roster. It was Mark Nutt, the Blood Dragons' designated marksman. He took his base's secondary man-cannon to zip off to a large stone arch on the river. He trotted through the shallow water and activated active camo, his armor ability. The players on the field had several different armor abilities including T-packs, sentry turrets, drones, fortification, bubble shields, and in this case, active camo. Seemingly invisible to the naked eye, he lined up a shot and fired. A Reckoner Knight suddenly dropped to the ground, followed by another.

Nutt chose a good sniping spot. The arch provided a good vantage point of the left side of the map, it was an out-of-the-way spot that the enemy players didn't seem to pay much attention to at first, and the rocks could provide cover should the Knights open fire on his position. After a few more kills though, the Chief found himself scolding Nutt. He was too attached to that spot. In an extended battle like this one, the best snipers are the ones who changed nests often. If you stay in one spot for too long, the enemy will eventually figure out where the shots are coming from and will open fire on your position. Even if you have active camouflage, they'll figure out where you are sooner or later. It's better to change positions after two or three kills to keep your enemies guessing.

"MAAAAARK NUUUUUUT!" the crowd cheered every time Nutt scored yet another successful headshot.

The crowd cheering your name every time you get a kill doesn't help either. Nutt should have switched to another sniper nest five kills ago. Chief had already spotted three sniping spots on the Dragons' side of the map that Nutt could have ran over to, and that's not even factoring in the active camouflage. If you do factor in the active camo, there are at least five spots you can snipe from; nine if the Blood Dragons can gain more control of the middle of the map, and a tenth one if Nutt was feeling particularly bold.

A ghost then circled around the arch and ran over Nutt from behind. That's what happens when you stay in one spot too long.

The battle went on. The Chief started to notice that the Knights were pressing their advantage. They had gained ground in the middle of the map, specifically the tree-covered hill in the dead center of the arena, by engaging the Blood Dragons there and had the presence of mind to stay in that general area and open fire on any Dragon that charged in. It was a good strategy. In an arena where you have one base on one end and another base on the other end, controlling the ground half-way in-between gives you a huge tactical advantage simply by giving you more space to work with. You have a presence both on your side of the field and the middle, while the enemy only has a presence on their side of the field. The greater your presence on the field, the greater your likelihood of victory.

Of course, that's a very simple strategy. The problem with simple strategies is that they can be easily defeated by creative thinking. Across the creek from the Knights' position on top of the hill, a trio of Blood Dragons were sprinting across the open field towards the Knights' base. The Knights didn't seem to notice, as they were too busy laying fire down on the Dragons' base, cutting down the Dragons who stayed behind to defend. With each defender fallen, the Knights advanced further and further towards the Dragons' base. Most of the Dragons 'respawned' in spots away from their base and booked for the Knights' base, while the entirety of the Reckoner Knights stuck around the Dragons' base.

"….They switched bases." Chief said.

"Yup." Ashley said. "And now they're going to take each others' weapons and vehicles and then they're gonna clash again on that hill. It's gonna be EPIC." she said with a girlish giggle as she shifted in her seat.

"Does this kind of thing happen often?" Chief asked.

"No!" Ashley replied. "I mean, yeah, slayer games have known to get hectic, but an outright base switch? Now THAT'S rare! This is gonna get NUTS!"

And indeed it did. The Blood Dragons took the Knights' weapons and vehicles, the Reckoner Knights took the Dragons' weapons and vehicles and both headed towards the middle to meet their doom. Chaos erupted once more. Vehicles exploded, players fell, weapon pods appeared on the map to add their own unique twist to the insanity. Chief checked the scoreboard. The Reckoner Knights' aggressive playstyle was paying off as they had managed to shoot past the Blood Dragons on the scoreboard. 95 to 82 Knights. A quick succession of three kills from the mantis followed by a well-timed grenade toss accompanied by a couple of headshots was all it took for the Reckoner Knights to secure their hard-fought victory.

The crowd erupted in applause and stomping. The athletes were then teleported out of the arena seconds before the arena itself began to fade away. "Ladies and gentleman, the next match will begin shortly. Achievement Hunter will be taking the stage in five minutes." As soon as the announcer said that, the Chief was intrigued to see nearly half of the colosseum audience get up from their seats and leave in droves, evidently to take advantage of the five-minute intermission and use the restroom.

"Hey, you hungry?" Ashley asked.

"A little." Chief said.

"I'll grab us a couple of hot dogs! What do you want on yours?" Ashley asked.

Chief paused in thought as he realized that the only times he had ever eaten a hot dog was in a UNSC cafeteria, and they never asked 'what do you want on it,' they just put in a bun and told you to eat it. "Whatever's good, I guess." Chief said with a shrug.

Ashley gave him a weird look before shrugging herself and getting up from her seat. As she left, Chief popped his ear-piece back in for some post-game commentary.

"Holy crap, that match was just NUTS near the end." Geoff gushed.

"Yeah." Jack replied. "So far it's one-nothing Knights in this best-of-three game series. So while both teams take a breather and the Achievement Hunter guys get ready, how about some Fails of the Weak?"

"Already?!" Geoff asked in faux-shock.

"Hey, the arena combat season has been going for a few days all around the galaxy and so we've already got a lot of fails to choose from. First one comes in from the Demons v. Nianas game on Sanves aaaand…."

Chief checked his data pad. What played was a video of three Asari hopping into a warthog and driving off. It crashed into another warthog, sending both hogs reeling onto their back heels and…..

"Tree park!" Jack said as the first hog, through a combination of gravity and peculiar driving skills, wound up leaning on a tree. This earned a chuckle from both Geoff and Jack.

"They turned their mobile turret into a turret." Geoff observed. "Can you imagine being a bird in that tree?"

"Okay, THIS is amazing." Jack began as the next clip played. At the bottom of the screen, the clip said it was from the Neroma v. Assassins game on Sur'Kesh. A group of Salarians were holding position on a ramp of some kind, presumably firing on their enemies. An opposing player drove what looked like a motorcycle up the ramp. Another Salarian from the first team jumped up and fired his grenade launcher at the bike. Not only did the grenade fail to destroy the bike, but the explosion sent the bike flying up and knocking out the Salarian with the grenade launcher. "Did you catch that?" Jack asked since the event happened so quickly.

"No I didn't." Geoff admitted.

"Okay." Jack replied as the clip restarted from another angle. "So that quickstrike went sky-born and hit this guy _in _the air. Look at this. Aaaand…."

The cycle, a 'quickstrike' as it was apparently called, shot into the air and hit the Salarian again. "Boom!" Jack said.

"Wooah!" Geoff replied. "That was awesome!"

"He got a roadkill, like, goin' vertical. That was freakin' amazing." Jack gushed. "So that's not really fail, that's just badass."

"Congratulations on that guy." Geoff added.

The segment went on for another few minutes, highlighting various examples of hilarious incompetence and the occasional accidentally brilliant tactic. "And finally, we have this clip of the Stellars v. Cannons game on Taetrus and….huh….." Jack paused as he began looking for the right words to describe the clip. Geoff was too busy laughing hysterically.

Two Turians. Each on a different team. They were standing on opposite sides of platform and were firing on their enemies, completely oblivious to one another's presence. Eventually, one of them realized the other was right there and shot them in the head in pretty short order. "Well, that one got the-"

Jack was cut off by the surviving Turian getting shot in the head by a sniper round. "Aaaawwww…short-lived victory." Jack said as Geoff resumed his ecstatic laugh.

"Okay." Geoff said as he finished his laughing. "So that's this week's fails done. Let's turn our attention back to the field where Achievement Hunter is taking the field."

Chief turned his attention back to the field as he saw four men take to one side field, each wearing a colored suit of combat armor; One in red, one in blue, one in yellow, and strangely, one in brown. "Oh! I love these guys!" Ashley said as she returned. She handed the Chief his hot dog, which was covered in an odd, lumpy brown goo with yellow shavings on top. "I got you a chile-cheese. Didn't think you'd like anything fancy." Ashley explained.

_You mean this _isn't _fancy?_ Chief thought. Indeed, the chile and cheese seemed a little extravagant to him. A lone hot dog would've provided more than enough calories to satisfy the Chief's hunger for at least a few hours. The extra ingredients weren't really necessary. He took a bite out of it and was taken off-guard by the explosion of flavor on his tongue. Spicy, zingy, meaty? The taste was so unlike the military rations he was accustomed to that he honestly couldn't think of any words to tangibly describe it. He didn't hate it. He just found it very strange.

Chief swallowed as he turned his attention back towards the field just as the announcer introduced the four men below. "Ladies and Gentlemen….Gavin Free!"

The one in red armor pointed both pointing fingers in the air, welcoming the audience's applause.

"Michael Jones!"

The blue armored one pumped a fist multiple times.

"Ryan Haywood!"

The one in yellow armor just waved.

"And Ray Narvaez Jr!"

The one in brown armor knelt down on one knee and pulled out of his belt, of all things, a rose. He mimed sniffing it.

"'Ello everyone!" the one in red armor, Gavin, said in a thick British accent as he held a finger to the earpiece on his helmet. "Ah'm Gavin. That's Michael, Ray and Ryan. We are Achievement Hunter, and today we are doing 'Things to Do in the Arena.' This is called 'mud-wrestling.' Uh, could someone boot up Map-37 please?"

With a brief rising of grid-colored shapes and layering of textures, the entire arena floor turned into a very large puddle of mud that went up to Achievement Hunter's ankles, with a few leafless trees dotted around the map for good measure. At the far end of the field, opposite from where Achievement Hunter was standing, was a stone pyramid that had on top a single stack of four golden blocks. Each block looked to be perfect cubes that were three feet long, wide and deep. "Alright lads, here's what's gonna happen." Gavin began as he turned to his three friends. "On top of the pyramid is the Tower of Vitality. Normally it's called something else, but we can't really call it its proper name here since there are children present in the arena."

This mention prompted immediate cheering from many of the small children in the audience. Gavin turned to the audience. "Stay in school kids!" Gavin said with a wave. "Don't do drugs!"

"He's lying kids. _Drugs are awesome._" Ray immediately quipped. This earned a punch in the gut from Michael and a laugh from the audience.

"Aaaand cue hate letter from an angry mom." Ryan deadpanned in a voice that sounded oddly like Jack Patillo's.

"Anyway, the Tower of Vitality is up there." Gavin resumed. "And the first one to get up there wins. But there's a twist."

"What's the twist?" Ray asked.

It was then that another grid-colored shape rose from the mud. It was extremely large, looking to be nearly fifty feet long, but only standing five feet off the ground. It was definitely an animal of some kind as it stood on all fours and its tail made up almost half of its body length. When the textures were layered on, Chief saw that the creature was some form of massive, aquatic amphibian. It was red in color with a white underbelly. Its head was decorated with gill-like flaps on the sides and a large head fin on top that looked like a mohawk of sorts. It also had a prominent dorsal fin on its back, and a tail that ended in a large oar-like fin. By far the most prominent feature was a snout full of dagger-like teeth and burning yellow eyes.

"FISH!" Gavin yelled as he pointed at the creature. The animal made a roar that sounded like an elephant trumpeting underwater before charging at Achievement Hunter, sending the four of them scrambling for cover.

"Who are these guys?" Chief asked.

"Achievement Hunter. They're a comedy group who work for the Colosseum." Ashley answered. "They're like rodeo clowns. Their job is to provide comic relief in-between matches."

If that was indeed their duty, they were doing a good job of it as the audience were laughing wildly as the four men desperately tried to get out of the way of a rampaging…..whatever that thing was. Most likely some kind of alien fauna that Chief had never encountered nor heard of. Not only did they struggle to get away from the monster, they also struggled to get away from each other. Ray and Ryan got into a brief wrestling match in the midst of making a dash for the pyramid, which was the objective of this 'game.' They were both sent scrambling in opposite directions when the creature came charging at them.

At one point, Gavin and Michael were running from the beast as it chased them through the muck. The latter tripped the former. "MICHAEL!" Gavin yelled out in desperation before the beast snatched Gavin up and tossed him around like a rag-doll.

"Bye Gavin!" Michael yelled in reply before making a u-turn and a mad dash for the Tower of Vitality, only to be swatted into a tree by the beast's tail. "Oh, COME ON!" he yelled as the creature kept slamming him with his tail over and over again.

"We at New Alexandria Colosseum wish to remind everyone that this is a simulation. No animals will be harmed in the course of this segment. Gavin Free, Michael Jones, Ryan Haywood and Ray Narvaez Jr. are professional entertainers. Please do not replicate 'things to do' segments at home." the announcer calmly reminded the audience as the monster continued to gnaw on Gavin as though he were a chew toy.

After a couple more minutes of the boys playing chicken with an amphibious fish-monster, as well as the dropping of odd phrases like 'tease it,' parkour,' and 'shut up Gavin,' it ended with Ray successfully climbing the pyramid and slapping the Tower of Vitality, the signifier of his victory. He pulled two more roses of his belt and held them high over his head as he collapsed to his knees. The audience erupted in equal parts applause and laughter. With the challenge over, the monster disappeared in a flurry of pixels, Gavin falling to the ground from where he hung helplessly from the monster's jaws.

"Achievement Hunter, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer said as Gavin, Michael and Ryan began to leave the arena. Ray was still standing by the tower of gold, hugging it, caressing it. "Er, Ray? That means you too." Ray then hesitantly let go of the tower and made his own way out of the arena, but not before stopping once to give the tower one last look of longing. "The dominion game will begin in five minutes!" the announcer declared as hundreds left their seats to either grab a food, a drink or to answer nature's call.

The next Arena Combat game was called a 'dominion' game. The objective was simple; rather than a straightforward race to a set number of kills, there were instead three control points on the map, referred to as Alpha, Bravo and Charlie. The object of a dominion game was to assume control of these three bases and hold them for as long as possible. Also, rather than eight-on-eight, this match would be six-on-six. The name of this next map was 'Longbow,' a reconstruction of an old UNSC base located in an icy tundra with its three control points arranged triangularly.

The match started with the Reckoner Knights and Blood Dragons taking Alpha and Charlie respectively, and after that, it turned into a mad dash for Bravo, a race that the Knights ultimately won. Chief checked the scoreboard, noting how the Knights' score was climbing faster than the Dragons'. With the Knights in control of two bases and the Dragons in control of one, it seemed that the Knights' victory would be assured unless the Dragons could take back Bravo and soon.

So it seemed, anyway. The Knights had drawn the battle line at the gates to Bravo; anyone who wanted a fight was heading there first and foremost. However, in overemphasizing the importance of holding Bravo, the Knights had made a critical mistake; they left Alpha unprotected. A mistake that a very sneaky Blood Dragon, Hamish Wilson according to the team roster, decided to exploit with the help of the map's teleporters.

Taking the teleporter that took him across the map early on in the game, Wilson found Alpha still in the midst of being automatically fortified, its automated defenses not up yet. Taking advantage of this, he rushed into the building and seized control of the base for the Blood Dragons, then stayed put to guard it. Wilson took down the first Knight to come in, but was felled by the second. He was quickly avenged however when another Dragon, no doubt alerted to Alpha's capture-in-progress, came in and took down the Knight, stopping him from taking back Alpha. Within a minute, Alpha was securely within Blood Dragon control, leaving the Knights with only Bravo.

A few minutes later, the Knights were able to take Charlie, allowing them to catch up to the Dragons' score and even taking back the lead for a brief time. However, the Dragons took it right back after capturing Bravo. A few minutes later, they swapped the two bases again, the Dragons taking back Charlie while the Knights took back Bravo. In any case, the Dragons wound up controlling two out of three bases for the majority of the game, earning them a victory.

As Achievement Hunter returned to the field for another 'things to do' skit to keep the audience entertained while the Blood Dragons and Reckoner Knights got ready for their third and final match, Ashley turned to the Chief. "So, you enjoying yourself?" she asked.

"It's an interesting experience." Chief replied with a shrug. "I liked that last game. It was good to see that arena combat isn't always so chaotic."

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked.

"That slayer game? The one that was basically a kill race?" Chief asked. "Too chaotic, too unprofessional. Dominion actually demanded that the teams rely more on strategy and tactics than raw firepower."

"But the slayer games are more entertaining." Ashley argued. "Mostly cuz of the weapon pods; you never know what you're gonna get. That random element keeps things interesting."

"But there's no rhyme or reason to any of it." Chief countered. "Dominion has objectives that need to be seized and held for as long as possible. That takes thinking. It gives structure to the battle, a clear sense of where the battle lines are, of where you need to be. Slayer is basically just a bunch of guys running around in the open shooting each other. That's rarely how battles work in real life."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Ashley said with a scoff. "I'm a marine. I get enough real battles on the job. I come to places like this to get _away _from my job for a little while, not to get a refresher course on it."

"R&R is all well and good, but you should never go out of your way to ignore something that could be vital to your job." Chief replied. "Dominion games, whether by participation or observation, make for good study cases of strategic maneuvers."

"Slayer's more fun." Ashley claimed.

"Dominion's more realistic." Chief shot back.

"Ah, you prefer realism over fun. I see." Ashley said. "See, THIS is why I thought you needed to blow off some steam. You're kind of a workaholic."

"You're talking back to me now?" Chief asked. "I think I liked you better when you were barely able to stutter out sentences in my presence."

"Yeah well, that was when I saw you as 'Master Chief the legend.'" Ashley explained. "Now I'm seeing you less as a legend and more as a man. A man who can be kind of a jerk sometimes."

Chief paused to massage his forehead. "We're getting side-tracked." He said. "My point is that dominion's the more worthwhile game since it requires players to _think _in order to win. It's why the Blood Dragons won. They're better thinkers than the Reckoner Knights."

"…That a fact?" Ashley asked after a suspiciously long pause and a raised eyebrow.

"You saw that last game." Chief pointed out. "The Blood Dragons wouldn't have won if Wilson hadn't thought to bypass Bravo and capture Alpha while it was unguarded. Hell, you even saw it in the slayer game. While the Knights were busy sitting on their hill, the Dragons flanked them and raided the Knights' base. Knights didn't even notice. The Knights only won that slayer game because the conditions allowed it. They were in their element."

"So you think the Blood Dragons are the better team?" Ashley asked.

"They're the ones who would stand a better chance on a real battlefield, so yes." Chief answered.

"….Wanna bet?" Ashley asked.

"I beg your pardon?" Chief asked.

"How about this." Ashley began. "Once we get out of here, we'll go to lunch. If Blood Dragons win, you pick the place and I pick up the bill. Reckoner Knights win, _I _pick the place and _you _pick up the bill." She thrust out her hand. "Whaddya say?"

Chief looked at Ashley's hand. Then back at Ashley. "You're serious." he stated more than asked.

"You know it." Ashley cockily replied. Chief slumped in his seat to massage his forehead again. He looked down on the field. Achievement Hunter was having a race by hopping across several small platforms suspended over a lake of lava. The audience laughed whenever someone fell in. He then looked down at the wrapper that once held the hot dog he had finished eating a while ago. He shook his head slowly.

"I don't belong here." he muttered to himself.

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked.

"The crowds, the games, the food, the idiotic skits." Chief said, gesturing at the field below when he listed that last item. "A rogue Spectre is leading an army on a genocidal crusade across the galaxy and what am I doing? Sitting in a bleacher watching a group of morons compete for fictional gold."

"Until the Alliance or the Council provide us with a new lead, there isn't much else you can do." Ashley pointed out.

"Then I should be standing ready for when that lead eventually shows up." Chief replied. "Not wasting my time here."

A second of silence passed as Ryan slipped off a post and into the lava, earning a cackle from Gavin. "Tupari! Ice cold tupari" A vendor said as he walked up the aisle.

"One bottle, over here!" Ashley shouted. The vendor then tossed her a bottle of the blue carbonated drink while Ashley tossed him a credit. She then shoved the bottle into the Chief's hands. "Quit whining, drink some tupari, and _relax _for once in your life you big baby." she said.

"Okay seriously. How are you mouthing off to me like this all of a sudden?" Chief asked as he opened the bottle.

"_Lots _of courage, sir." Ashley honestly answered. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but make no mistake, I am on the verge of uncontrollable panic and hysteria right now because, holy shit, I'm talking back to the foxtrotting Master Chief."

That line got a small smile out of the Chief. The smile quickly faded, followed by the Spartan mentally scolding himself for letting that slip. "So…..how about that bet?" Ashley asked.

"Fine, you're on." Chief grumbled in reply, realizing that Ash wasn't going to let this go.

A few minutes after Achievement Hunter made their way off the grid, the arena took on another new shape. This time the field of battle would be a circular box canyon with a small butte standing in the middle of the map. On each side of the map was a base that looked to be made from the scavenged hulls and bulkheads of a wrecked ship. A mongoose, a warthog, and a ghost appeared at each base. The Blood Dragons and Reckoner Knights spawned at their bases. They each had a single victory and were ready for the tie-breaker.

"Capture the flag!" the announcer declared. The objective was self-explanatory; capture the enemy's flag while protecting your own. First one to five captures, or have the most captures at the end of the timer, wins. This would be a five-on-five game.

Mark Nutt and Hamish Wilson of the Blood Dragons from the last two games took defensive positions at their base, the former with a cloak and sniper rifle, the latter with a mounted turret. Anyone looking to capture the Dragons' flag would have to pass through their LOS first. The remaining three Dragons hopped into a warthog and made a beeline for the Knights' base down the left side of the butte. Oddly, the passenger who was riding shotgun hopped out before the hog reached the Knights' base. However, the tactic became clear once the warthog ran through the Knights' defenses and got into a fight with their own warthog; the Dragons' hog was the distraction, allowing the passenger to grab the flag while no one was looking.

He ran back up to the warthog which then proceeded to speed back to the Dragons' base. The Knights weren't about to let their flag slip through their fingers, though. They quickly destroyed the warthog and took out its occupants. The Blood Dragons were quick to respond, as four of them rushed the flag, Nutt providing covering fire from afar. One of them picked up the flag, got it back to their base, but in an ironic twist of fate, that Dragon was taken out at the capture point, the flag falling just inches away from it. The Knights relentlessly attacked the Dragons' base, believing it a sound tactic to get their flag back and capture the enemy's own flag in one move. Chief disapproved. The point was already lost. The smart move would be to fall back to their base and reinforce. The Blood Dragons eventually scored the first point of the game, not surprising the Master Chief in the least.

The second capture played out much as the first one did. One of the Dragons took a mongoose to the Knights' base, stole their flag, and tried to proceed their way back to the Dragons' base on foot. That didn't work as the Knights took out the flag carrier before he got too far. However, the Blood Dragons understood the importance of escorting the flag carrier, as whenever a flag carrier fell, another Dragon was nearby to fight off the Knights long enough to pick the flag back up and make some more progress back up the field. Through a relentless and persistent offensive force, the Dragons scored their second point.

The Blood Dragons used this tactic a third and fourth time. A Dragon would take a vehicle to get to the Reckoner Knights' base quickly, grab the flag, and then proceed on foot. He would fall, yes. But one of his teammates would be guaranteed to be close enough to pick up the flag and proceed on. The Knights would occasionally be able to swipe the Dragons' flag, but thanks to a rock-solid defense by the Dragons, they never got far with it. And that was only when the Knights were able to get close to the enemy flag at all. Most of their time was spent just trying to keep the Dragons from scoring again.

With the score at four to nil and only a few minutes left on the clock, the Edmonton Blood Dragons decided to end the match with class. Three of them hopped in the warthog and cruised their way up to the Knights' base around the left side of the butte. With the gunner providing covering the fire, the passenger quickly got out, grabbed the flag, and got back in. The warthog sped its way down the right side of the butte, back to its home base, and the Dragons scored their final point.

"Game over!" the announcer yelled as the audience erupted in thunderous applause. Final score: Five to nothing.

"What?!" Ashley demanded as she stood up and threw her hands out, clearly not happy with the game's results. "What the hell was all that?!"

"A team of cunning soldiers employing a fairly simple but effective tactic to win a shut-out." Chief plainly answered.

"But the Knights were freaking_ vicious_!" Ashley said.

"And they showed it. To their credit, they made the Dragons work for every capture." Chief acknowledged. "But they didn't have a plan. They lashed out at the Dragons' flag carriers with such ferocity because that was all they could do in the face of a well-orchestrated offense and a solid defense. Blood Dragons fought smarter, plain and simple."

Ashley grumbled curses as she plopped back into her seat. Chief just leaned back in his, satisfied that he 'won.' "I'm gonna go take a leak." Ashley suddenly said as she got back up. Chief waved her off as he put his earpiece back in for a post-game analysis from Geoff and Jack.

…..

After a five minute interlude, the announcer's voice returned over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen…." he began as the jumbo-tron suddenly darkened. "LET'S! PLAY! LUTABALL!" the announcer shouted to the crowd's thunderous applause, the words appearing on the jumbo-tron as he said it in flashing letters.

The holographic arena kicked in again. This time there was no battlefield, but instead a playing field. The arena created a huge, flat field of perfectly green grass. Painted onto the grass in white lines was a large square box that took up much of the field, with another white line in the middle cutting the box in half. On the sides of the field, outside the boundaries of the white box, were several rows of benches, a cheerleaders' square, and a first-aid station. Finally, and most notably, right in the dead center of the field, painted onto the grass, was an image of a blue Mark V/K Helmet, aka the commando helmet, a type of Spartan helmet.

"Ladies and gentlemen." the announcer said. "Please put your hands together and welcome back to the Colosseum…..THE NEW ALEXANDRIA NOBLES!"

As peppy rock music began playing over the speaker system, eleven players took to the field. All of them were Humans of various builds decked out in American Football playing gear; gloves, cleats, mouth guards, and of course the helmets and shoulder pads. They wore white pants with blue stripes and blue jerseys that displayed their numbers printed in white. Their numbers were also visible on their shoulder pads. One by one, the announcer introduced the Nobles that took to the field, an intro that was accompanied by a flashy animation on the jumbo-tron followed by a brief look at that player's stats. Chief saw at least a dozen others take to the benches. They were no doubt substitutes, for whenever someone got tired or even injured. The latter must not have been an uncommon occurrence if the first-aid station's presence implied anything.

The visiting team, the Bachjret Rebels, did not receive a welcome that was as flashy or warm. The announcer proclaimed their presence, but gave none their players individual intros. He merely announced their presence on the field and the list of players on the Rebels' team appeared on the jumbo-tron with far less fanfare than when the Nobles took the field. The Rebels' uniforms had similar color schemes to the Nobles', but with green in place of blue.

Chief eyed the Rebels as players on both teams started to walk towards the middle line as Jack and Geoff began talking. "The teams are now gathering at the line of scrimmage to give each other the traditional lutaball staring contest before the coin toss." Jack commentated as an Unggoy referee hobbled onto the field. Just like Jack noted, all twenty-two players were right on the line of scrimmage, each player standing on their side of the line and glared at the opposing player on the other side of the line. The referee was able to squeeze his way between two players who were eyeing each other down right on top of the V/K helmet, both of whom were Humans.

"It looks like Noble Captain Antal Igo and Rebel Captain Jeremiah Clark have made their calls." Jack said. "Aaaaand….."

The referee tossed a coin into the air and watched it fall onto the ground. He pointed to the Rebels' side of the field, instantly earning a groan from the crowd. "Ah, dicks." Geoff swore, perfectly echoing the crowd's sentiments.

"Yeah, Rebels win the coin toss, I'm receiving word that they have chosen to receive, which means the Nobles will be making the first kick." Jack explained as the teams took formations on their respective sides of the field. "Generally speaking, you want to receive the ball first, since that increases the likelihood of scoring in the first drive. If you _don't _receive the ball first, then you're gonna have to take it out of the opposing team's hands if you wanna score in the first drive which, depending on who you're up against, can be really difficult."

"Why are you explaining fundamental strategies of lutaball that everyone knows already?" Geoff asked.

"Well, you know. It's the start of a new season, so there might be some new folks out there who don't really know the basics of the game yet, and I just thought I'd explain it to them." Jack answered.

"You do know that's only, like, seven percent of the audience, right?" Geoff suggested.

"That's an unusually specific number Geoff."

"What seven?"

"Yeah. In fact, now that I think about it, you used that number a lot as an estimation of comically low averages last season. What is it with you and that number?"

"I like seven. It's a lucky number."

"No it's not."

"It isn't?"

"No, I bet on seven-black on the roulette wheel at Errera Casino. Didn't win squat."

"I guess you could say you didn't win _Jack_-squat." Geoff cracked, earning a chuckle from Jack. "Hey-ooooooooh!"

"I see what you did there." Jack replied. "So the teams have already formed their front line. Hey Miles, can we zoom in on Torsivian?" he asked whoever was in charge of the camera. Chief checked the data pad and saw the camera zoom in on the Turian center lineman. He stood prone at the line of scrimmage, looking ready to tackle the Nobles' center lineman who also stood prone not even a foot away from him. His mandibles splayed and rattled in what looked like some kind of growl. The muscular Turian easily stood a head above him as well as most of the other Nobles.

"Oh man, that's the stuff nightmares are made of." Geoff commented.

"Yeah. Torsivian is a big scary monster, and he _knows _it. Trying to scare the Nobles' front line there. Make them a little nervous." Jack explained.

"Well I dunno about the Nobles' linemen, but _I'm _kinda nervous from looking at that guy's ugly mug, and I'm all the way up here in this booth." Geoff went on. "Imagine how the guys on the line must feel."

"The teams have finished their formations." Jack said. "And here comes the kick…."

One of the Nobles on the far side of the field ran up to the ball, held in place by another Noble, and kicked it. No sooner did the ball fly into the air did the Rebels on the line begin tackling the Nobles as a brawl erupted on the line. As expected, players tackled one another to the ground, but much to the Chief's surprise, they were also trying to pin their opponents to the ground as the ones being pinned tried to fight back and slip underneath their captors. It was as much wrestling as it was tackling. There were even some punches being thrown at one another, two linemen getting into a brief boxing match on the line before one knocked down and subsequently pinned the other.

The ball landed on the grass on the Rebels' side of the field, but it was quickly scooped up by an Asari. She and three other Asari ran down the field towards the line. "Nahlia V'lori scoops the ball, runs down the pitch to the line…." Jack commentated.

Nahlia leapt up, dropped the ball next a Human Rebel lineman, and landed right on top of a Noble lineman. "The ball is loose!" Geoff shouted.

The Human scooped it up and started running towards the end zone. "Not anymore!" Jack shouted. "Rebel number fifteen lineman Benjamin Amonk scoops the ball and is now making his way down the pitch!"

"He's got company!" Geoff shouted as the camera on Chief's datapad zoomed in on a tall, muscular man chasing Amonk. "Center lineman Pep Sanchez has broken out of the brawl on the line of scrimmage and is now in hot pursuit. Plus, Heikonen and Maeso are about to intercept."

Two Nobles ran towards Amonk, intent on tackling him to the ground. One ran slightly faster than the other, indicating that he would tackle him first. Amonk, a physically imposing man, elbowed aside one Noble, followed immediately by the other. "But Amonk doesn't give a crap!" Geoff went on. "Not a single crap to give! Zero craps given by Amonk! It's all on Sanchez now!"

Sanchez slowly closed in on Amonk as he ran for the end zone. It was clear from the way he ran that running wasn't supposed to be his forte'. After another second or two, he leapt forward a great distance. The crowd went insane in celebration as Sanchez was able to grab Amonk by the legs, tripping him, the ball slipping from his hands. It was shortly scooped up by a Noble. "I don't believe it!" Geoff cried in utter disbelief. "Sanchez tackled Amonk and number eight blitzer Laszlo Bandy has scooped the ball and is now carrying it back up the pitch accompanied by Taylor Jones and Franky Durango!"

The three Nobles ran up the pitch, running on the left side to try and bypass the brawl on the line of scrimmage. It was then that the Rebels' center lineman, Torsivian, broke off from the brawl and ran up the pitch. He stopped and joined two Asari players there, who were waiting on Bandy, Jones and Durango. "The beast has awakened." Jack ominously said. "Torsivian has fallen back and has assumed a safety position. If the Nobles are gonna score their first touchdown, they're gonna have to go through him first."

"Ooooooh dicks, they've ran past the line of scrimmage and they're closing in on the Rebels' end zone." Geoff said in anticipation as the Nobles closed in. The two Asari charged while Torsivian got off to a slower start. Jones tackled one of the Asari to the ground, Bandy was nimble enough to roll across the ground, dodging the second Asari's tackle. That only left Torsivian who had developed enough of a running start to become an out-of-control train, heading right for Bandy.

"Torsivian is locked on Bandy like a pissed off bull about to give someone the horns, this is gonna get ugly!" Jack shouted.

Bandy made a short pass to Durango seconds before Torsivian charged into him. Taking a second to realize he had the ball, Durango sprinted the rest of the way up the pitch. "Incredible!" Geoff shouted in excitement. "Bandy does a last-second pass to Durango and Durango is now BLAZING up to the Rebels' end zone!"

Durango's sprint came to a slow stop as he crossed into the end zone, earning a deafening cheer from the crowd. "Holy crap they did it! Nobles score! Nobles score! Nobles snatch victory from the jaws of defeat! What a drive!"

The referee ran onto the field blowing the whistle, declaring the touchdown official as Durango took off his helmet to wipe the sweat off his forehead. A couple more Unggoy refs ran into the middle of the field to break up the fighting in the line of scrimmage, another ref running up to Torsivian to call him off Bandy. Torsivian reluctantly released Bandy from the chokehold he had him in. Another ref had to call Sanchez off Amonk in a similar way. Medics came to help Bandy and Amonk to their respective teams' first-aid stations, though the former waved off the medics as he was able to walk to the station on his own. "And we may already have our first two casualties of the season." Jack reported a few minutes later. "I am just receiving word that Amonk is being treated for injuries to his leg sustained during that scrap he had with Sanchez, including a possibly dislocated knee. No word on Bandy's condition yet, but he was walking to the first aid station on his own just fine, so I'd say he's alright."

"After a wrestling match with a 350-pound Turian, that's just luck." Geoff remarked.

After a few minutes, it was learned that Benjamin Amonk had to be benched for the rest of the game, due to the severity of his knee injury. With a point on the board for the Nobles and losing a very good player early on, the Rebels were not off to a good start, to say the least. It didn't get much better for them as the game went on for another hour, divided into two thirty minute halves. Not only did the Nobles run a superior running, passing and even dodging game, but they also ran a good blitzing game that only got better as the game went on. To their credit, the Rebels put up a valiant fight, as they were able to put several points on the board and as well as put a few nobles in the first-aid station. But in the end, it wasn't enough. At the end of the game, the final score was 18 - 8 Nobles.

"Whole. Lee. Dicks. 18-8, what a match!" Geoff gushed.

"Yeah, if this game was any indication, the Nobles are gonna have a great season this year." Jack replied. "Anyway, that's all for us here at New Alexandria Colosseum, thanks so much for stopping by and/or tuning in, and be sure to come back next week for the opening game of the 2683 grifball season!"

….

It was late afternoon by the time the games ended and the Master Chief and Ashley made their way out of the colosseum. They each made one last stop at the bathrooms before navigating through the masses of people who were also on their way out. As they exited the colosseum itself and made their way through the huge parking lot towards the public transit terminal a few hundred feet away, Ashley spoke up. "So, where do you wanna go?" she asked.

"Beg pardon?" Chief asked.

"For lunch. The bet, remember?" Ashley reminded the Spartan. "You win the bet, so you pick the place. So, where do you wanna go?"

The Master Chief had to really think about it for a few seconds. Where _did _he want to go? Most of his meals usually consisted of either flavored nutrient paste that he took with him on the field, whatever the mess sergeant put on his plate whenever he ate aboard a ship or in a base, or whatever edible things he could find in the wilderness on long recon missions. He's never had a choice about what he ate before, so he had no idea where to even start.

In his attempts to rack his brain for what he could possibly _want_ to have for lunch, he found a distant memory. During their training, he and the other SPARTAN-II's were sent on an underwater training mission on Emerald Cove, a distant colony world at the time. Mendez sabotaged half their air-tanks, forcing the then Spartans-in-training to steal his. They then ditched him and camped out on a nearby island. They were stranded there for a week with nothing to do but light bonfires, surf, and cook whatever they could fish up from the ocean.

"….Know any good seafood places?" Chief asked.

"I know just the one." Ashley replied.

…

Ashley took the Master Chief to a seafood restaurant near the edge of New Alexandria Harbor, appropriately located right by the docks. The place was pretty busy, but luckily, they didn't have to wait long for a booth seat in the corner. They each took a seat, sitting on opposite sides of the table. The window they sat next to gave them an excellent view of the harbor, fishing trawlers and yachts of various sizes coming and going into the harbor for one reason or other. The waitress, a very young woman with long blonde hair, left them menus before going off into the kitchen to get them both a glass of water.

Chief went over the menu and was taken aback by the descriptions of some of the food items. Every dish was described in detail, including what seemed like every single little ingredient that went into it. Melted butter, honey-roasted pecans, lemon wedges, tartar sauce, was all of that really necessary? Just roast some fish meat, put it on a plate in front of the Chief, and he was a happy Spartan.

"Find anything you like, yet?" Ashley asked.

"Not quite." Chief replied. He shook his head. There he was, thinking that the hot dog's condiments back at the colosseum were pointless excess. But this? This took needlessness to a whole new level. How hard was it for a restaurant to just serve some simple, practical-

_Baked Clam Platter_

_Our baked Eposz Shore Clams are cooked in classic clambake style; baked to perfection on heated rocks with rockweed to add moisture and flavor. Served with tartar sauce and two slices of lemon._

Baked clam. It had been literally decades since the last time the Master Chief had a good baked clam.

"I think I've made my choice." Chief said as he set down his menu.

"I'm still deciding." Ashley replied as she rubbed her chin in thought. A few minutes later, the waitress came back with two tall glasses of ice water, each with a lemon wedge.

"Are we ready to order?" she asked as she took out a datapad, her fingers poised and ready to type.

"I think so." Ashley said. "I'll have the wood-grilled lobster, and for the side I'm thinking…..fried calamari."

"Alright." the waitress said as she typed the order down. "And you sir?"

"Baked clam platter." Chief said as she handed the waitress the menu.

"Alrighty." she replied dutifully as she took the menus from the two soldiers. "Anything to drink?"

"Oh! Do you guys do custom drinks?" Ashley asked.

"Sure do." the waitress cheerfully replied.

"Okay then." Ashley said. "One ounce vodka, half ounce chambord, half ounce lemon juice, and fill with lemonade."

"Classy." the waitress complimented. "What would you like to drink, sir?"

The Spartan tapped his glass. "I'm good with just water, thanks." he said.

"Okay. I'll be back in a bit with the food." On that note, she headed back to the kitchen to put in the order. Ashley put a hand on her face as soon as the waitress left.

"Knew you were going to bankrupt me." she grumbled.

"Why?" Chief asked.

"Baked Clam Platter costs thirty-five credits." Ashley replied.

"….Is that expensive?" Chief asked.

"Yes. Very, actually." Ashley replied with a little venom in her tone. "That thing is a _party meal_, Chief. It's the kind of thing you're only supposed to order in really big parties, not for just one person."

"Well, you're welcome to have some." Chief replied as he leaned back in his seat.

"My personal account balance feels so much better." Ashley deadpanned.

"Don't know why you're blaming me." Chief said. "How much did that drink cost?"

"Less than thirty-five credits." Ashley replied.

"I think you're being a little cheap here, Williams." Chief said. Ashley only muttered something under her breath. "What was that?"

"Nothing, sir." Ashley replied.

The marine grabbed her lemon wedge and squeezed it into her water, then started drinking it. Chief looked down at his own water and raised an eyebrow in realization. _So that's what the lemon's for_, he thought to himself. He wondered about that because, once again, he had never seen something like it in a military cafeteria. He always knew that the military diet was more stream-lined, efficient, and devoid of needless additions, but before today, he had no idea just how extravagant civilian food could get. He never imagined being able to eat or drink things like this, not even on shore leave.

Shrugging and figuring there might be something to it, he squeezed the lemon wedge into his drink just as Ashley did and drank the water. The water now had a mildly citrusy flavor to it, but that's about all the lemon did. Aside from the flavor, the blast of lemon juice probably only added a few calories to the water, if that. It didn't make sense to him to slice up a whole lemon just to add a few calories to water. Makes more sense to just eat the lemon.

So he did.

"The hell?" Ashley blurted out as Chief popped the lemon slice in his mouth and started chewing. "Uh, Chief? You're eating a raw lemon_._"

Chief nodded as he chewed.

"…Doesn't that hurt?" Ashley asked.

Chief swallowed. "Don't see why it would. It's a little sour, but I've eaten worse." he said.

"…..Okay then." Ashley said, still a little amazed. Why she was so surprised, the Chief had no idea. The next minute was spent in silence as Chief washed down the lemon with some water. "So, I'm surprised you didn't want to invite what's-her-name. T'soni."

"Why would I?" Chief asked. "The Colosseum didn't strike me as someplace she'd want to visit. Besides, she's busy keeping an eye on Cortana for me."

"Could have still invited her to lunch." Ashley pointed out.

"I don't know how far away she is from here. She could be on the other side of the city for all I know right now." Chief said. "Besides, you're already paying for the both of us. Doubt you'd want to pay for a third."

"I won't complain about that." Ashley replied. "But in all seriousness, you and her have been chatting up each other a lot over the last few days."

"We've become good friends." Chief replied with a shrug.

"Sure you're _just_ friends?" Ashley asked.

"What do you mean '_just _friends?'" Chief asked before he took a sip of water.

"Well, to put to bluntly, Scuttlebutt says you got a bit of a thing for her." Ashley said.

The Master Chief immediately stopped drinking and set down his glass. "A thing?" he asked.

"I could understand why." Ashley replied in a teasing sort of tone. "The crew's off limits, with the regs against fraternization. And at least she _looks _like a woman."

Chief shook his head. "Liara and I have simply become good friends. We're not romantically involved." he stated.

"Really?" Ashley asked. "Cuz you've been hanging around in that-"

"Liara and I are not. Romantically. Involved." Chief stated more slowly and much more sternly this time.

"Okay, okay, I'll back off." Ashley said as she held up her hands. "Let's change the subject. When do you think we're gonna get our next mission? I know how eager you are to get back on the front lines, and I doubt the Alliance will keep us benched for long."

"I don't know." Chief plainly replied.

"Well, where do you think the Council is gonna pick up Saren's scent next?" Ashley pressed.

"Can't say." Chief replied.

"…..Any idea what you're gonna do when they finally give us a lead?" Ashley probed.

"Head to wherever they need me and investigate." Chief replied.

"You're not being much of a conversationalist here." Ashley said.

"Not much to say on the subject." Chief replied.

The next few minutes were spent in silence as the two of them waited for their meals. After realizing that she wasn't going to be getting any more interesting conversations out of the Chief, Ashley started passing the time by toying around with something on her omni-tool. Chief, meanwhile, simply leaned back in his seat and thought. That was all he could really do at this point, wasn't it? Wait for the Council to find another lead, then go investigate it and hope that he finds something. He supposed that was how it always was. Ever since he was six. They give you a mission, then you go out and do it. Don't ask questions, don't worry about the future, just head in and do your job. As much as Section Two glorified him for it, that was all he really was at the end of the day. Just a man doing his job. That's how it was as a Spartan, and that's how it still is as a Spectre.

…No. No, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it _was_ different this time. He thought about all the events over the last few weeks that led up to this moment. His induction into the Spectres. Rescuing Liara from Therum. Defeating the Geth and Thorian on Feros. The botched mission on Eletania. On the surface, these missions seemed little different than the ones he conducted in the Outer Colony Rebellions and Human-Covenant War. He was given objectives, and he was expected to accomplish them. But he suddenly realized that this was very different.

In the Human-Covenant War, the Master Chief was given everything. He was given armor to wear. He was given weapons to use. He was given ships to take him wherever he needed to go. He was given fellow Spartans to command. He had one concern and one concern only; getting the job done. Everything else was someone else's problem.

That's not how Spectres operate.

The Master Chief did some research on the Spectres using the codex on the way to Therum, not long after being initiated into their ranks, in order to gain a full understanding of his new post. He remembered the codex entry clearly, word for word.

_Spectres are agents from the Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance and answer only to the Citadel Council. They are elite military operatives, granted the authority to deal with threats to peace and stability in whatever way they deem necessary._

_They operate independently or in groups of two or three. Some are empathetic peacekeepers, resolving disputes through diplomacy. Others are cold-blooded assassins, ruthlessly dispatching problem individuals. All get the job done, one way or another, often operating outside of the bounds of galactic law._

_The Spectres were founded after the Salarians joined the Council. For many years, they operated in secrecy, as back-room "problem solvers". Only after the Krogan Rebellions did their activities become publicized. Assignment of a Spectre is less contentious than a military deployment, but makes it clear that the Council is concerned about a situation._

The Master Chief wasn't a Spartan anymore. He was a Spectre now. Spectres operated by a completely different set of rules.

Spectres were, by design, effectively above the law, allowing them to take actions and access information that would be completely off-limits to anyone else. They also exist outside the chain of command of any other military in the galaxy, answering to the Council and the Council alone. This setup affords Spectres levels of operational freedom that was completely unheard of in the UNSC. And while Spectres are required to carry out a mission given to them by the Council, nothing really stops them from going off on their own missions on the side, and the missions that are directly assigned by the Council may be executed in whatever way the Spectre deems fit, legal or otherwise. It suddenly made sense that the Council expect Spectres to pay for their own missions more or less out of pocket. If something goes wrong and the media catch wind of it, the Council can maintain plausible deniability by correctly claiming that they didn't bankroll a Spectre's ill-advised mission performance.

At first, it sounded like every soldier's dream come true. The ability to casually slash through red tape like so much foliage. The ability to go after anyone and everyone you need to accomplish the mission. The ability to use access codes that trump just about anything in any other official database. Freedom to go anywhere, do anything, and nothing short of a bullet to stop you. But the Citadel Council doesn't bestow the title to just anyone. With all that freedom comes great responsibility. Spectres are expected to use all that power and freedom to uphold galactic peace and stability in ways that other people simply could not.

He was reminded of the Council's words the day he was made a Spectre.

_Spectres are not trained, but chosen._

According to the codex's sub-entries, thousands of individuals apply to become a Spectre every year. Few, if any of them, make the cut. Most Spectres hailed from the most elite military bodies of their species; most Turian Spectres were from Blackwatch or the Armigur Legion. Most Asari Spectres were formerly commandos. Naturally, the vast majority of Salarian Spectres used to work in STG. They were all skilled. They were all deadly. But most of all, they were all leaders.

_Spectres are an ideal. A symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination and self-reliance._

The best Spectres were natural-born leaders. You don't give that much power to someone if they don't have the leadership skills to use it effectively. Anderson said on that fateful day that Spectres needed to be able to command their own ships and their own missions, and he was right. Most Spectres did indeed own a ship of some kind, including crew. Most of the time, as was the case with the _Normandy, _the Spectre's native government would provide the needed ship and crew, but the rest is up to the Spectre and the Spectre alone. A poor Spectre is one who cannot lead effectively.

_Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."_

In the Human-Covenant War, the Master Chief's role wasn't really that big. He was a key soldier and the best the UNSC had, yes. But he wasn't the one making the decisions. That was someone else. He wasn't the one who told people where to go and what to do. That was someone else.

That's not the case when you're a Spectre. You're in command of your own ship, your own funds and your own campaign. There's a reason the Council grants you all that freedom. So you can have the freedom to go wherever you need to go to get the job done. Invest in the right companies to keep bankrolling your missions, or at least stay in your native government's good graces so they would be willing to fund you. Be able to recognize where the most activity in an entire galactic region is and investigate it. And most of all, having the responsibility of making the tough decisions that are too much to ask of a normal soldier. For good or for ill, your actions are yours and yours alone.

The Master Chief never had to worry about those things as a Spartan. That was always someone else's problem. The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how demanding the job really was. And as he thought back on Eletania, on how badly he mishandled that mission and allowed Saren Arterius to escape, he realized something.

The Spectres operated by a completely different set of rules. A set of rules that the Chief had failed to conform to.

"Something on your mind, Chief?" Ashley asked. The question snapped the Chief from his thoughts, making him realize that he had been looking down at his legs the whole time.

"No." he said.

Ashley stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

"Person doesn't become so intent on their navels without _something _on the brain." Ashley pointed out.

Chief sighed. "When was your last promotion?" he asked.

"Er, February 24th, sir." Ashley replied, a little off-put by the seemingly unrelated question. "I was made Operations Chief after Anderson enlisted me into the _Normandy_'s crew."

"How did that feel?" Chief asked.

"I have to admit, I was a little worried about being assigned to the _Normandy._" Ashley confessed. "But the crew was really nice to me. They helped me feel welcome. I've only been on the ship for a couple of weeks now, but it already feels like a home away from home."

"Hm." Chief grunted in reply as he digested Ashley's answer. _They helped me feel welcome._

"Okay, now I KNOW something's on your mind. I'm the only _Normandy _servicewoman here, so you can tell me whatever's wrong if you want." Ashley said before taking a sip of her water.

"I'm not cut out to be a Spectre." Chief bluntly said out of the blue.

Ashley would've sprayed water all over Chief's face if she hadn't instinctively bowed her head and covered her mouth in time. "Come again?" she asked after coughing a bit.

"I'm not cut out to be a Spectre." Chief repeated. "Alliance picked the wrong soldier."

Ashley just stared at him with her mouth hanging open like the Master Chief just grew a couple of extra heads. "_Why_?" she asked incredulously.

Chief paused for a second, trying to think of a way to properly put his thoughts into words. "I don't have the right kind of credentials for it. The right kind of experiences for it. Being a Spectre is very different from how I thought it would be."

"Different how?" Ashley demanded.

"More responsibilities." the Master Chief started. "More responsibilities than I've ever had to handle. Back in the Human-Covenant War, I never commanded more than a few Spartans at a time. I never had to coordinate mission resources, never had to make executive decisions, and never had to direct an entire military campaign. And now? The Alliance dropped me into a position where I'm suddenly required to do _all _of that."

"What are you talking about?" Ashley asked.

"Think about it. We're at war." Chief explained. "We're at war with the Geth, and Saren Arterius is their leader. He's a _warlord _now. He has entire _fleets _and _armies_ of Geth at his disposal. And the Council didn't send a fleet of their own to engage him, or an army. They sent _me. _My stated mission is to apprehend, or failing that, eliminate the leader of an army whose overall military strength is easily on par with most governments', and I'm expected to take him on with nothing but a single ship and a few dozen unlucky men and women as crew."

Chief rubbed his throat as he leaned back in his chair. It was sore again. He took a drink of water before continuing. "And they're expecting me to do it all on my own. No fleets for back up. All they do is feed me intel and occasionally provide funding. Everything else is on me. Coordinating mission resources, making executive decisions, and directing an entire military campaign. No one else is looking for Saren, it's just me. No one else is actively engaging the Geth, it's just me. I need to make all the decisions on where to go, what to do, and how to approach it. I'm being expected to do the work of an admiral, which is way above my pay grade."

"You've been leading us well so far." Ashley said.

"Have I?" Chief asked. "On Eletania I made a bad call and allowed myself to be captured with mission-critical information."

"But we destroyed it before Saren had the chance to see it." Ashley argued.

"In the course of rescuing me, something you wouldn't have had to do in the first place if it wasn't for me." Chief replied. "I let Saren get away. I failed in my objective."

"That wasn't your fault." Ashley said.

"No Williams. As a matter of fact, it was." Chief replied, his tone getting a little bitter. "And now, I've alienated most of my crew now that they've found out I've been keeping Cortana a secret from them. Morale has been compromised and I've got nothing to show for it. I'm supposed to be a leader, Ashley. Problem is, I've only ever lead other Spartans, and most of the time it was just in small squads. I can't lead a whole ship full of normal Humans and the odd alien. I just can't. It's beyond my capabilities."

The Master Chief was silent after that. So was Ashley. The waitress came by and dropped off Ashley's drink, a tall glass of dark red liquid with a couple of ice cubes floating on the surface. The waitress walked away, saying the food would be ready in 'just a bit.' Ashley took a pensive look at her drink before taking a sip. The silence lasted for another few seconds.

"….Luck." Ashley finally said out of the blue.

"Hm?" Chief asked.

"That's what they say made you so special. Luck." Ashley said. "It's why every bullet or plasma bolt that ever whizzed by your head never quite hit, or why every stray grenade was never quite close enough or why every fall was never quite high enough. You were luckier than the other Spartans."

"Luck only gets you so far." Chief replied.

"But what if it's not luck?" Ashley asked. "What if it was never luck? What if it was something else?"

"Like what?" Chief asked.

"Destiny?" Ashley suggested. "That's what I always personally thought about you." she added with a shrug.

The Chief grunted. "Destiny, huh?" he asked, clearly not convinced.

"Well think about it." Ashley replied. "You wake up from cryo just a week before Saren and the Geth start a war with Humanity, at a time when the galaxy needed a Spartan most. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"It's just that. A coincidence." Chief dismissed. "The Alliance caught a lucky break with me. If they hadn't found me, someone else would've stepped up in my place."

"But that didn't happen." Ashley countered. "There's a reason for everything that happens, Chief. Even if you don't understand it at the time. The Battle of Installation 00? It put you in the right place at the right time. Your character made you rise to the occasion. And that got you here, in the 27th century, as the first Human Spectre in command of the finest tin can in the Alliance fleet. I know it doesn't look like it, but this is _exactly _where the galaxy needs you to be."

She paused. "No pressure." she teasingly added as she took another sip from her drink.

"…..Why are you pushing so hard?" Chief asked. "First the Colosseum, now this. What's your angle, Williams?"

"I'm not pushing. I'm pulling." Ashley replied. "I'm pulling you out of that dark hole you fell into after Eletania. I mean, were you listening to yourself a minute ago? Sounded like you wanted to quit the Spectres. Since when do Spartans quit _anything_?"

"We just went over this. I'm considering quitting because I don't have the right kind of background or experience for this position." Chief replied.

"Well….Damn it, I don't want you to quit. We _need _you." Ashley snapped, apparently unable to think of something better to say.

"Why?" Chief asked. "Why do you even care? We've only been working together for a couple of weeks. You don't even know me."

"….No." Ashley replied. "But I'd like to."

It was then that Chief suddenly remembered Sha'ira's words once more. _You are surrounded by hearts much like your own. Hearts that are as willful, fierce, and wise as your own. You only feel alone because your own heart is so heavily guarded, like every other part of your body._

"The crew of the _Normandy_ believes in you, Master Chief." Ashley said. "You should believe in yourself too. You had a bad mission. That's okay. Setbacks happen to everyone; you can't win them all. Beating yourself up over it won't fix anything. Just learn from your mistakes and do better in the future. That's what Spartans are supposed to be good at, right? Battlefield adaptation?"

"….Yeah." Chief replied.

It was then that the waitress came back with the food. "Alright, sorry if this took a while." she apologized. "Anyway, wood-grilled lobster and fried calamari." she said as she handed Ashley the plate of food. "And one baked clam platter." she said as she placed the platter in front of the Master Chief. It was so big, she had to hold it with both hands. The Chief's saliva glands kicked into overdrive as soon as his nostrils detected that heavenly scent. "Enjoy your meals!" the waitress said as she walked away.

"Just an FYI Chief, you're supposed to squeeze the lemons onto the clams." Ashley said as she held up a calamari ring. "Instead of, you know, eating the lemon wedges raw." she then popped it into her mouth.

The Chief wasted no time. He grabbed a clam, pried it apart with his fingers and popped the baked clam meat into his mouth. He took a moment to savor the flavor, the memories of Emerald Cove, of a genuinely happier time, flooding back to him. He swallowed. He then discarded the shell and went to work on the next one, followed by the next one, occasionally stopping to dip the meat in tartar sauce to try it. It gave the meat a cooler flavor, but he didn't use it much. He also experimented with the lemons by squeezing lemon juice on one of the clams as per Ashley's advice. It gave the meat an interesting citrus flavor, but again, he didn't use it much after that. Clam meat this good shouldn't be spoiled by petty condiments.

The Spartan was about to bust pull apart another clam when he saw Ashley staring at him with a raised eyebrow yet again. "What?" he asked.

"You are _demolishing _those clams." Ashley pointed out.

"I like clams." Chief justified.

"Apparently you do." Ashley said as she resumed her lobster.

"Hey Ashley." Chief said.

"Yeah?" Ashley replied.

"Thanks for buying." Chief replied.

"Any time, Skipper." Ashley replied.

The Chief paused. "Skipper?" he asked.

"Hey, that's what you are isn't it?" Ashley asked.

"….Guess so." Chief replied before going back to his lunch.

…..

After the meal, the waitress left the bill on the table, which Ashley paid with a few keystrokes on her omni-tool and a grumble. As the two made their way out of the restaurant, Ashley checked her omni-tool's clock. "Five o'clock. We still got a few more hours before sunset. Gotta love Reach's twenty-seven hour days." the marine said. She turned to the Spartan. "So, what do you wanna do now?"

"Don't know." Chief replied as the two turned out of the parking lot and walked down the landing. He looked out on the harbor, the water reflecting the sun's light, a fishing trawler on its way out back to sea. "Wouldn't mind just walking around here for a little while." Chief said.

"Okay." Ashley replied with a neutral shrug.

The two walked on for another few minutes. They walked down a wooden sidewalk of sorts that acted as a border line between the habor's docks and a public park that was situated at the harbor's edge. On their way down, they passed by children's playgrounds, statues by local artists and plaques with lists of names dedicated to fishermen who lost their lives at sea. They eventually happened upon a twenty foot tall wooden structure that looked to be a crow's nest. It had a square frame, a tall wooden pole for each corner and a pyramid-shaped shingle roof on top of the observation area. After reading the signs to confirm that, yes, it was indeed part of the recreational area, they ascended the the crow's nest via the spiral staircase in the center of the square-shaped frame.

The nest itself was fairly large, roughly ten feet by ten feet. There were four benches situated in the middle of the nest, each facing away from the center. Ashley and the Chief emerged from the staircase behind one of the benches and walked up to the railings. From here, they had an excellent view of both Downtown New Alexandria and New Alexandria Harbor. The two of them were silent for a while.

"….Thanks for taking me out today, Ashley." Chief said. "Maybe you were right. Maybe I did need this."

"No problem, Skipper." Ashley replied. "And for the record, you can call me Ash if you want."

"Ash?" Chief asked.

"My nickname." Ashley said. "It's what everyone else calls me."

Chief considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "I shouldn't. I don't really know you well enough."

"No." Ashley admitted. "But I do trust you enough."

"….Hm." Chief hummed. It was the only reply he could think to give. He turned his head towards Downtown New Alexandria and could see a sign in the difference. The metal sign was an advertisement that sat on top of a pole a couple dozen feet tall. It was calling attention to an air car rental lot.

Thinking back to the Codex's entry on Reach, the Master Chief realized that there was last last place he needed to go today.

"Thanks again, Ash." Chief said as he pushed himself off the rail. "There's somewhere else I need to go."

"Where?" Ashley asked.

"Somewhere personal." Chief said as he turned to the staircase. "I think it'd be better if I went alone."

"You sure?" Ashley asked, concern clear in her voice.

"Don't worry." Chief assured her with a small smile. "I'll be fine."

"…You're not going AWOL, are you Skipper?" Ashley asked in a joking way. Well, half-joking. Chief could still hear an undercurrent of legitimate concern underneath the dry wit.

"No. I'll be back on the _Normandy _tonight. I promise." Chief said.

Ashley leaned on the railing as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm gonna hold you to that." she warned.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." Chief replied. With that, he descended the staircase to leave Ashley in the crow's nest. He began walking into the heart of the downtown area, towards the rental lot.

….

"Okay. Let's see here…." Requisitions Officer Victor Lawrence muttered to himself as he stood by the open door to the _Normandy's_ cargo hold. He was taking a look inside a small crate, mostly filled with ammo blocks and spare grenades. With a nod of approval, he checked the item off on his datapad. "You're good. Take it on board."

The Unggoy dock worker whimpered in response as he walked up the ramp into the _Normandy's _cargo hold, his legs shaking as he struggled to hold up a crate that was easily as large and heavy as he himself was. Another Unggoy walked up to Lawrence, carrying a much smaller crate, for which he was thankful. Lawrence checked inside. He nodded at all the plasma grenades. N'tho should be happy about that. "Put with the others." Lawrence instructed as he checked the item off the datapad.

"Hey!" Lawrence then shouted at an Unggoy who was peeking inside a rations crate. "Stay outta there! That's for our two dextro-amino crew members! That's not for you!"

Lawrence paused. "You don't wanna end up like the _last _Unggoy that tried to eat Turian food." he said as he pointed to a port-a-potty further down the dock.

"MY BUTT IS DOING _HORRIBLE _THINGS TO ME!" an Unggoy's voice screeched from inside.

Not wanting to end up like his colleague, the dock worker put the dextro-fruit back in the crate he found it, hefted it, and carried it onto the ship. Lawrence pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he hated his job. While the rest of the crew was off enjoying their shore leave, he was stuck here overseeing resupply efforts, which usually meant making sure the dock workers didn't break anything.

As he checked off the dextro-amino rations, Lawrence caught out of the corner of his eye a huge forklift truck coming down the dock toward the _Normandy. _Perplexed, he double-checked the datapad. Nothing that big was on the list. Something fishy was going on. Patting the pistol he kept on his thigh, Lawrence walked up to the forklift, holding up a hand to instruct it to slow down. The forklift driver complied and slowed his vehicle to an eventual stop. So far so good.

Lawrence found the driver to be a large, surly-looking man with hairy, muscular arms and a well-trimmed mustache. "Special delivery for the _SSV Normandy._" he said with a thick Texan accent.

"What kind of delivery?" Lawrence asked.

"Dunno." the man replied with a shrug.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Lawrence asked.

"Folks wouldn't tell me." the man explained. "You know how them ONI fellers are. Real secretive types."

"ONI?" Lawrence asked. He took a closer look at the side of the crate. Sure enough, there was the symbol of ONI, a pyramid with an open eye near the top. It even came complete with yellow 'classified' tape. "What would ONI want to deliver to the _Normandy?_" Lawrence asked.

"My guess? Guns. Real fancy guns that they probably been workin' on in the R&D labs." the man speculated. "Word through the grapevine is that the Master Chief's been havin' a rough goin' out in the traverse, so whatever's in here, ten creds says it's gonna even the playin' field a little."

Lawrence paused to look over the crate one more time. He still didn't trust it. Hell, now that he knew it came from ONI, he _definitely _didn't trust it. Wherever those spooks went, trouble was never far behind. He activated his omni-tool to scan the crate for bugs; recording, listening, and/or tracking devices. He knew better than to put such things past those creeps. After a couple of minutes, the scan came back negative. The crate was clean.

Lawrence walked back up to the driver. "You're clean. Put it by the mako." he instructed as he pointed up the ramp to the desired spot. The man nodded before resuming his course.

Lawrence sighed as he watched the forklift go. Even if the scans showed no bugs or anything else like that, he still had his suspicions. ONI were never the types to just hand stuff out for free. There were always more than a few strings attached. Then again, this _was _the first Human Spectre they were giving free stuff to, the last living Spartan no less. It made sense that they would make a special case for him. But Lawrence still couldn't shake the feeling-

"OH SWEET MERCIFUL NIPPLE!" The Unggoy in the port-a-potty screeched again. "I'M SPEWING FIRE! IT FEELS LIKE LIQUID FIRE!"

Lawrence rolled his eyes. "You're a levo-aminio species that ate a dextro-amino fruit!" Lawrence hollered at the grunt. "Just be glad you're not dead!"

"DEATH WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO THIS!" the Unggoy hollered back.

….

**Codex Entry (Organizations): ARENA COMBAT**

_In the wake of the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC spent much of its reconstruction period studying Forerunner ruins and relics, hoping to unlock the secrets of the Forerunners and their incredibly advanced technology. Easily one of the greatest technologic achievements wrought by this came in the fall of 2557; a sophisticated virtual reality combat simulator capable of replicating an endless array of environments, real or hypothetical, using holography and pneumatic riser fields._

_According to a popular urban legend, it was during a war game exercise between UNSC marines and Kig-Yar Confederacy forces that Confederacy Admiral Shur'R-Kixx joked that the UNSC could rake in additional funding by charging the public to view the war games. Thus, arena combat was born._

_Arena combat is a competitive sport that revolves around this very same combat simulator which uses holography, pneumatic riser fields and kinetic barriers to simulate various detailed environments in which two to four teams of players compete against one another in a wide variety of combat scenarios, referred to colloquially as game 'modes' or 'types.' Like the environments, the weapons too are simply holograms and kinetic barriers, designed to look, feel and even sound like the real thing. The projectiles however are non-lethal, but can still hurt according to most players. Whenever a player is felled, their armor locks up for a few seconds before the subject is teleported to a random spot on the map via a localized teleportation grid that is connected to the players' armor and does not extend beyond the boundaries of the arena._

_After the First-Contact War, the sport was introduced to the rest of Citadel Space, and for its first few years in the greater galaxy it was a source of controversy. This was because the teleportation grid that the 'respawn' mechanic relies on utilizes slipspace translocation technology. Arena combat lobbyists pointed out that it does not use slipspace on anywhere near the scale of a starship, meaning that the usual risks of slipspace technology are all but negligible in the case of arena combat. As the sport had quickly become popular amongst the general galactic public, even amongst the Council races, the Citadel Council had no choice but to relent. When Slipspace was formally banned in 2667, arena combat was spared on a legal technicality. Many Slipspace advocates cynically note that the only reason the sport survived the ban was because the then-recently built AC stadium on the Citadel was bringing in so much revenue._

….

**One more long-ass chapter to go before the Reach arc reaches (get it?) its conclusion!**

**Hopefully I didn't portray the Chief as being too angsty here. I recall one recent anonymous guest reviewer saying that "my Chief's personality is spot on to what he imagined, other other writers either make him too angsty, or too stoic in which case his character is as interesting as a totem pole with an upturned bucket at the top."**

**It reminded me of just how tricky portraying the Master Chief is. His primary defining trait is stoicism; if he's not stoic in your fic, you're not writing him correctly, simple as that. However, he can't be TOO stoic or else, as the review points out, he ceases to be interesting. However, he can't be too angsty either, or else he's not only uninteresting, but also completely OOC, which is even worse. It's all about finding the right balance. For me, I think the trick is to have him be outwardly stoic and unemotional at all times, but inwardly, in his inner monologues that the reader can here, that's where you portray any inner conflicts you're thinking of having him go through.**

**And to all those who think the Master Chief has been acting WAY too jerkish or anti-social lately, I would like to point you to Halo 4's intro cutscene, and I quote:**

**"Records show Spartans routinely exhibited mildly sociopathic tendencies, difficulty with socialization, etc. etc."**

**I'm no psychology major, and if there's any among my readership they're free to correct me on this, but I think it's safe to say that, more often than not, sociopaths tend to come across to other people as jerks. Chapters 26 through 30 were all about highlighting those "mildly sociopathic tendencies" that the shadowy dude from Halo 4 was talking about. Big ups to 343 Industries and Halo canon for having my back on this one.**

**That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.**

**Let's see, what else? Oh yeah! Check out Zgamer's spin-off "Last of an Ancient Breed" if you haven't already, as well as TheTrickyAcid's youtube channel, again if you haven't already.**


	38. Reignite

**So yeah. Halo 5 teaser showed up at E3. Kinda surprising, actually. I mean, think about it. Halo: CE debuted in 2001, Halo 2 came out in 2004, and finally Halo 3 was released in 2007. Oh, and Reach was released in 2010. Can't forget that. Each subsequent game after the first one took 3 years to make, like clockwork. Why? Because Bungie took their time with the Halo games, and it showed. Each new Halo title boasted many new features that added ever more depth to the gameplay. I was expecting 343 Industries to do the same, which meant that we wouldn't even HEAR of Halo 5 until 2014, but evidently, 343 is looking to out-do Bungie in the speedy release department. I would caution them against that. While Mass Effect 3 wasn't terrible (star kid not withstanding of course), its flaws stand as a testament to what can go wrong if you try to rush things.**

**Onto the teaser itself. First off, Master Chief wearing a cloak and wandering in a desert. I've seen one guy say that it's a knock against Bungie's newest title Destiny, but I don't think so. I think it's more the opposite of that: a shout-out to Destiny. Makes sense; a lot of people at 343 used to work at Bungie. Makes sense that they would wish the best of luck to their father company, even if they're now making games for Microsoft AND Sony now.**

**He keeps Cortana's empty data crystal with his dog tags. Yeah. That stirred up a few feels.**

**What else? Oh yeah. The Forerunner Mecha-Hawk thing that looked like it wanted to eat John. So yeah. That's a thing Chief will have to deal with. No Arbiter though. More than a few fans disappointed by that, I'll bet.**

**There are a LOT of questions that the teaser raises; like why would a SPARTAN-II wear a cloak over his armor? Well, it's possible that, given how iconic the armor has become, the cloak was necessary for the Chief to maintain a low profile. Long-time readers will recall that the Arbiter wore a cloak in Chapters 17 and 18 for that very reason. This theory has been confirmed by Frank O'Connor himself. Relevant Youtube link:**

**/watch?v=X4zuyEmv7rE**

**As for what the Chief is doing out in the middle of an alien desert to begin with? Hard to say. Remember, the expressed intent of the Reclaimer Trilogy is not only to explore the mysteries of the Forerunners more, but also to dissect the Master Chief's psychology. The Karen Traviss books **_**Glasslands **_**and **_**Thursday War**_** demonstrate that ONI is far from a shining paragon of Humanity; they are deliberately sabotaging the Sangheili to prevent a peaceful resolution to their civil war to keep them weak, with possibly the eventual goal of wiping out the entire species. This effectively makes them no different from the Covenant at the height of the war. It's possible that ONI gave the Master Chief an order that, for the second time in his life (the first being refusing to hand over Cortana to Del Rio), he refused to carry out for ethical reasons, and is now a fugitive from the UNSC. This would also explain why his armor is in such bad shape, as the cracked visor implies; there aren't many mechanics outside of ONI that could fix up MJOLNIR armor. Course, this is just me wearing my tin foil hat, so I could very well be wrong.**

**Overall, Halo 5 is looking to be very interesting. Near as I can tell, there's really only one flaw to it.**

**It's an Xbox One exclusive.**

**Yes, like countless thousands of other disgruntled Xbox users, I'm not exactly happy with some of Microsoft's decisions. Yes, Microsoft has agreed to do away with all the DRM policies and mandatory internet connections, but still, it should be noted that Xbox One won't be released until November, and as Totalbiscuit always says, "Beta is Beta." The Xbox One is technically still a work in progress so a lot can potentially change between now and release day. Basically I'm approaching this whole fiasco with a "wait and see" attitude.**

**I will say though, that if I DO get an Xbox One, I'm keeping a piece of tape over that kinect camera.**

**Right, now that I've got that little analysis / rant off my chest, onto the chapter!**

….

1911 Hours, March 10th, 2683

The Glass Wastes, Surface of Reach

Epsilon Eridani System, Forerunner Cluster

…..

It was an off-putting duality. The sky above was blue, though it would soon take on a pinkish-orange hue as the sun sunk into the horizon. There were large cumulus clouds lazily floating in the sky. The chirping of a single songbird could be heard. If one never looked down, the sky would give the impression of a place of ideal beauty and serenity.

The Glass Wastes were anything but.

The Chief walked through the wastes, the lechatelierite crunching, appropriately, like glass beneath his boots as he went. He looked around as he walked. Nothing for miles around but glass. He could just barely make out a mountain range in the distance that lacked snow on their peaks. He looked up a hill and saw a large, thoroughly-burnt log that was once a tree. Sitting on one of its branches was the songbird, its feathery coat a bright sky blue with a white head and red tail plumage. Chief recognized it as a Viery Bluejay. It was likely resting here before continuing its migration to its species' nesting grounds. As he ascended the hill, the bluejay flew away. Just like that, the Master Chief was now the only living thing in the barren plains of glass. Eventually, he reached the top of the hill and took in a deep breath after seeing what was on the other side of it.

Down the hill and a few hundred feet away were graves. Hundreds upon hundreds of marble tombstones, possibly well over a thousand. There were about a dozen or so benches made from similar marble arranged around the grave site. Next to him was a podium with a plaque on it. Engraved on it was some text.

_Stranger, announce to the Spartans that here_

_We lie, having fulfilled their orders_

This was the official grave site of the Spartans. Buried on the same planet they were created on. The Chief took a deep breath before walking downhill towards the graves.

He walked towards the far left side of the field of tombstones, feeling that that was the best place to start. As he got closer, he noticed that the markers were separated into three distinct groups. In the group on the left were the SPARTAN-I's, the Master Chief's predecessors. He walked amongst the tombstones, feeling that he should pay his respects to his forefathers, the first Spartans, while he was here.

First created in 2491, the first generation of Spartans weren't called Spartans at the time. Their creation was dubbed by ONI as the 'ORION Project,' and the soldiers involved were called Orions instead of Spartans. Initially there were only sixty-five candidates, all volunteers, but eventually the program expanded until, in the end, there were three hundred officially registered Spartan-I's. Similar to the SPARTAN-II project's original purpose, the ORION project's aim was to create a fighting force of elite, biologically augmented super-soldiers designed to neutralize insurrectionist threats as efficiently as possible.

Although ORION laid down the groundwork for SPARTAN-II, the program was officially deemed a failure. As effective in battle as they were, the SPARTAN-I's could only do so much. As the years went by, the innies got smarter and became more organized. Insurgents became harder to find and root out. It didn't help that years of war had taken their toll on the older SPARTAN-I's, hence why the program eventually wound up with three-hundred active SPARTAN-I's; to inject some desperately needed new blood into the unit. The older SPARTAN-I's began to show signs of PTSD, and worse, insurrectionist sympathies in some cases. That wasn't even mentioning the severe physical and mental illnesses that occurred later in life for the SPARTAN-I's as a side-effect of the primitive augmentations.

Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE wound up being the final nail in the ORION project's coffin. It was a massive offensive that saw the SPARTAN-I's launching assaults on several innie strongholds all across the outer colonies. The operation itself was a success in that all of those strongholds were eliminated, dealing a heavy blow to the Insurrection's forces. However, it did not have the desired effect of pacifying the Insurrection, of breaking its will to fight. Instead, it seemed to have the opposite effect; strengthening the innies' resolve. The project was shut down a few years later. Nevertheless, because of their combat-effectiveness, the UNSC decided to use the SPARTAN-I's as a model for the ODST. And of course, they paved the way for John-117 and his kind.

The Master Chief walked by the graves of the SPARTAN-I's, reading their names one by one. They were arranged numerically; ORION Candidate 001, 002, and so on. Above their numerical designation were their full names; Joe Garcia, Anthony Jackson, and so on. He did his best to commit each name and number to memory, though he wasn't entirely sure why wanted to do that. Truth be told, he wasn't even sure why he was in the Glass Wastes at all. That's when he found a SPARTAN-I's name that made him stop dead in his tracks. He blinked, not quite believing what he was seeing.

_Candidate 063_

_Avery Johnson Jr._

Avery Johnson. The Master Chief only knew the Sergeant Major for a few months, a very short time compared to his relationship with the other Spartans. On top of that, Johnson was the complete opposite of a SPARTAN-II. He was loud, foul-mouthed, and prone to go on long-winded rants on how the UNSC was going to win the battle ahead, standing in stark contrast to the Master Chief's ever-stoic ways. By all logic, the two men shouldn't have been able to stand one another, yet they quickly forged an odd friendship. The Chief never thought about it much; he just figured it was a bond forged over the course of multiple battles that were fought together and nothing more. Until now, that is. It suddenly made perfect sense that, despite their clashing personalities, the two of them became fast friends. They were of the same lineage.

Remembering Johnson reminded the Chief of Dr. Halsey's final lesson, the one she taught him just before she disappeared. If he had known that that would be the last time he'd ever see her again, he would've said goodbye. The doctor had studied the footage of the Flood's failed attempt to assimilate Johnson back on Halo, and concluded that his Boren's Syndrome effectively made him immune to Flood infection. She then presented the Chief with a choice; either give ONI the full report of Dr. Halsey's analysis and research of the Flood, or give them a report that excludes Johnson's Flood immunity. If Chief handed in the former report, the chances of ONI Section Three successfully creating a countermeasure to the Flood would be slightly better, but they would most certainly kill Johnson and then dissect him to find out what made him immune. He spent virtually the entirety of Operation FIRST STRIKE agonizing over the decision, whether it was worth it. In the end, he decided it wasn't. He handed the report that didn't mention Johnson's immunity to ONI and destroyed the one that did. He did it because of what Admiral Whitcomb said to him in his final hour; 'just a few good soldiers fighting for what's right made the difference.' In the end, he couldn't condemn Avery Johnson, a good man who helped make the difference, to death. Humanity needed every single good man and woman available to defeat the Covenant.

After marveling at this unexpected discovery for another second, the Chief resumed his march through the graves. Eventually, he saw the names of every SPARTAN-I. Now that he had took the time to honor the first generation, it was time to reunite with his generation, the SPARTAN-II's.

When ONI instated the SPARTAN-II program, they reviewed the ORION project's performance to learn from its shortcomings. As effective as they were, the SPARTAN-I's began to exhibit flaws later on in life, and that didn't just mean the side effects of the augmentations. Many were prone to PTSD, and even Insurrectionist sympathies. While their bodies put them above the average soldier, their minds had all the same weaknesses. Dr. Halsey knew that, and concluded that the ultimate soldier must not only be superior physically, but also psychologically.

That's why every SPARTAN-II candidate was kidnapped at age six. Because ONI didn't need to create a new generation of soldiers. They needed to _raise_ a new generation of soldiers. They needed to teach them, from a very young age, an absolute understanding of war in order to ensure that their minds did not break in the face of horror. The Master Chief was under no illusions about that. He and every other Spartan knew that their upbringing was very different from that of other Humans. The Chief knew that, if he was never conscripted by ONI, his life would have been very different.

It worked. The SPARTAN-II's surpassed the SPARTAN-I's in virtually every way, not only against the innies, but also against the Covenant once the Human-Covenant War broke out. Mission after mission was a success, but as the war went on, the Chief lost more and more of his fellow Spartans, more and more of his family, the people he grew up with. More and more they died, until eventually only he remained, the Last Spartan.

Unsurprisingly, his comrades were all listed numerically, their names above their numbers as with the SPARTAN-I's. As he passed by the names of his old friends one by one, he remembered each of them, both how they lived and how they died. James was a stubborn Spartan who never gave up. He died after his T-pack was hit by a needler round, sending him spiraling into the vacuum of space. Samuel was one of the largest and most cheerful of the Spartans. He died protecting ANVIL-II missiles, which detonated inside the depths of a Covenant frigate. Grace was a calm, serene Spartan that was always at ease and never had much of a temper, despite being an explosive expert. She died at the hands of Jiralhanae guards on the _Unyielding Hierophant, _but she was given an impromptu funeral pyre by having her fail-safe detonation system in her MJOLNIR armor detonate with some Covenant in the area.

Most of the SPARTAN-II's died in ways where a body could not be found or recovered. Despite what the tombstones implied, the Master Chief knew full well that there was nothing actually beneath the headstones but dirt. He stopped at another tombstone. He read the engravings.

_Spartan-117_

_John_

This one was his. He stood there a moment, staring at his own tombstone. He understood why it was here. It was likely that this tombstone had been here for a long time, placed here long before the Chief was awakened from cryo. When that happened, evidently no one had gotten around to removing it. It was a minor task that likely got lost in the sea of red tape and application forms that was bureaucracy, as such tasks are want to do. He continued on after a while. Once he finished paying tribute to his kind, he moved on to the lot on the right, the SPARTAN-III's.

It was only very recently that the Master Chief learned of the SPARTAN-III's existence. After he was awakened from cryo, Cortana mentioned it to him on the way back to Earth. She didn't know much about them, but she knew enough from the declassified historical records that she found in the codex. Apparently their 'old friend' Colonel James Ackerson was the master-mind behind the project. One-on-one, they couldn't hold a candle to SPARTAN-II's like the Chief, but what they lacked in individual strength, they were meant to make up for in numbers. Cortana also told him of how they were routinely sent on suicide missions. The worst one by far was Operation: PROMETHEUS which, while ended in a strategic victory for the UNSC, also resulted in all of Alpha Company being wiped out.

According to Cortana, Dr. Halsey learned of the SPARTAN-III project not long before the Fall of Reach, and wasn't happy about it. While the Chief and the rest of the SPARTAN-II's were getting ready for Operation: RED FLAG, the good doctor was working in ONI Sword Base, secretly studying a Forerunner complex that the Covenant had a vested interest in. She didn't know all the details at the time though, but she knew enough to know that ONI was making other SPARTANS behind her back.

Cortana told Chief about the SPARTAN-III's in order to tell him about one SPARTAN-III in particular; one that Chief, Cortana, and all Humanity owed a great debt to.

NOBLE Team was a fireteam-sized unit created within the SPARTAN-III project. Most of its members were identified early on for their unique talents and were pulled out of their original companies to join this team. During the Fall of Reach, there were six active members. Commander Carter-A259, the leader. Lieutenant Commander Catherine-B320, second-in-command and team technology expert. Warrant Officer Jun-A266, designated marksman. Warrant Officer Emile-A239, assault specialist and grenadier. Chief Warrant Officer Jorge-052, heavy weapons specialist and the only SPARTAN-II on the team. Chief always wondered what happened to Jorge after he was pulled out of the SPARTAN-II program. He remembered Jorge as being one of the more cheerful and sociable Spartans, the kind of person who always tried to look on the bright side of things.

The sixth member was special. Special because she was the one who Cortana picked to carry her. During the Fall of Reach, Cortana was split into two fragments, one on the _Pillar of Autumn, _and another beneath Sword Base, researching the Forerunner complex there. After finding critical data, Cortana chose Lieutenant Jane-B312, call sign 'Noble Six,' to escort her to the _Pillar of Autumn_ while it was undergoing repairs in Aszod dry dock. The critical data in question?

The location of Installation 04. Cortana revealed that she had, secretly and deliberately, used those coordinates for the _Pillar of Autumn's _slipspace jump on that fateful day. It was the discovery of Halo that started the chain of events that lead to the war's end and the Covenant's downfall. If Noble Six hadn't made it to that dry dock, Humanity would likely be extinct by now, along with every other sapient race in the galaxy.

In recognition of this, NOBLE Team's graves were located off to the side, separate from the rest of the SPARTAN-III's. There the Chief found Jorge's grave, which made him smile. He wondered why Jorge's grave wasn't with the other SPARTAN-II's. All the NOBLE Team members were buried here, or at least tributed here. Chances were pretty good that most of their bodies couldn't be retrieved. They were, after all, Spartans. There had to have been at least a dozen or so of the tombstones, which didn't surprise the Chief. Cortana had mentioned that, while NOBLE was a six-man fireteam, it went through many members over the years of its operation, most of whom died in battle. It didn't take him long to find Jane's grave. He stood there for a moment, silent. He then crisply saluted.

With that done, he turned back toward the hill where the log was. At the base of the hill was one of the marble benches. He walked over and took a seat. He sat there silently, facing the graves of a thousand Spartans, a thousand of his kin. The sky was beginning to turn pink as Chief looked over his shoulder and saw Epsilon Eridani begin its descent below the horizon.

He turned back towards the graves and sighed. He sat up straight, his hands on his knees. Again, he wasn't really sure why he was here. He wasn't sure what he hoped to accomplish from being here. "…..I miss you guys." he quietly said, not knowing what else to say or do.

It was the truth. He longed for their company. Everything in the 27th century was so different. It would have made the transition easier, having old friends around to help him through it. Sadly, that wasn't the hand that fate had dealt him. He was in an unfamiliar galaxy, in a position he wasn't suited for, and completely alone. Not completely, the Chief corrected himself. He still had Cortana. But her operating cycle has lasted four catalogued years now, which meant he had about three more left before she started going rampant. And that was only if the Council didn't find out about her first. One way or another, sooner or later, far sooner than he would like, he would have to let her go. Once she was gone, that would be it. He'd be alone.

_You think you are the last of your kind. You think you are utterly alone in the universe. But you are wrong. Though you've yet to fully realize it, you are surrounded by hearts much like your own. Hearts that are as willful, fierce, and wise as your own. You only feel alone because your own heart is so heavily guarded, like every other part of your body._

As the Chief looked down at the ground, he remembered Feros. He remembered how he thought about his team. How, in a few ways at least, they weren't so different from Blue Team. His friends. His family. He remembered thinking that maybe that was what Sha'ira meant. They all had a little Spartan in them.

Then he started reflecting on what happened after that. They stopped acting like Spartans. They started questioning his orders, his leadership style. So he pushed them away. That's how he got captured on Eletania, and his squad had to bail him out.

_You think you are the last of your kind. You think you are utterly alone in the universe. But you are wrong._

The Chief thought that what Sha'ira meant was that they weren't so different from the Master Chief, from a Spartan. But now he was starting to rethink that interpretation. The squad weren't Spartans. They were good soldiers, but they weren't Spartans. But maybe what Sha'ira was saying was that that wasn't really a bad thing. The Chief longed to be with the other Spartans again because they were his family.

Maybe what Sha'ira meant was that the crew of the _Normandy _could also be his family, if he allowed it. They could form a new family, one that was as good as the original. Different, yes, but still just as good.

Chief sighed at that. After such poor leadership on his part, he was wagering that that ship had long since left dry dock.

He lifted up his head as he looked at the graves of the SPARTAN-II's. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so uncertain. Every objective had always been clear, his resolve had never faltered, he had never even considered failing a mission to be a possibility. But that was back when he was a Spartan. He was a Spectre now and, as he explained to Ashley earlier that day, it was an entirely different ball game. It was like appointing the close-quarters combat expert the role of designated marksman. You're giving the job to someone who's not well-suited for it, plain and simple.

It didn't help that Chief's new enemy was unlike anything the Chief had ever fought before. Saren was the first enemy to ever truly get under the Chief's skin. The Insurrectionists called the Chief a traitor, an oppressor, and a UNSC lapdog. He shrugged it off because those insults didn't affect him. The Covenant called him a heretic, a monster and an unholy demon. Again, he shrugged it off because those insults didn't affect him. Saren was different. He _knew_ the Master Chief. He knew his combat history, he knew his friends, he even knew his name. Most of all, he knew his shortcomings. And he used all that knowledge to his advantage on Eletania and succeeded where everyone else failed; he made the Spartan angry enough to make a dumb mistake. Something like that shouldn't have happened. He was trained better than that.

The Master Chief was, quite simply, out of his element. He was lost. Perhaps that's why he came here. He hoped that he would find guidance here.

He saw none. The graves only gave him silence.

He stood up and walked back to the graves of his fellow SPARTAN-II's and stopped. He stood rigidly, his arms at his sides. "….You're all probably wondering why I didn't come to visit sooner." the Chief said. "Well….I've been real busy the last few weeks. I was made a Spectre. Saved a few colonies. Been working with a new team. Haven't had a chance to stop by until now."

The graves remained silent. He didn't expect a verbal response from them, obviously. He didn't even know why he was talking. He remembered Keiichi-047 once telling him how, in Japan, it was a common belief that it was necessary to talk to the spirits of the dead from time to time, lest their souls cease to exist. Thus, it wasn't at all rare to see people talking to graves in Japan or Japanese colonies. Of course, that belief would imply that the spirits would hear what the living said, and even if they could, they couldn't give a verbal response in kind. No matter how you looked at it, the living were still on their own.

Still, despite being fully aware of the lunacy behind it, the Chief went on, if only because he knew not what else to do. A slight breeze began to pick up. "Yeah, I should explain that." Chief said with a sigh. "Without any of you by my side and with the Spartan program having been shut down, I didn't have a team to speak of. But after a while, more and more people wanted to join me. Most of them were aliens, believe it or not. Yeah I know. Strange. But they didn't want to kill me, so I figured it was alright."

"First there's Kaidan. My second-in-command." Chief began. "Nice guy, laid back, think you guys would have liked him. Then there's Ashley. She's good with a variety of different weapons. If she was born in our time and had the right genetic markers, I think she would have made a good Spartan." He paused. "Those are the only two Humans on my team. The rest are aliens. First there's Wrex. Krogan. You know, the big mean reptilian ones?"

He paused again, then shook his head. "I don't think I need to explain too much. Technically, you've all been in this century longer than I have. Anyway he's a Krogan. Good soldier, but bit of an attitude problem. Executed a prisoner without my authorization, but I guess that's just how Krogan are. Then there's Garrus, a Turian. He's my DM and he's a good one. Very good, actually. He's actually been my go-to sniper for a while."

He leaned over and saw Linda's grave a few rows down. "You know Linda, he's almost as good as you."

It was then that the wind suddenly started picking up, shards of lechatelierite running across the ground. "_Almost_, Linda." Chief assured. "Relax. You're still the best DM I've ever had." The wind began to slowly die down.

"Then there's Tali. Quarian. She's a civilian, so really, she doesn't have any business on the _Normandy._" the Chief resumed. "But she volunteered, she was a talented engineer, and being a Spectre, there wasn't a rule that said I _couldn't_ let her on board. She even surprised me a while back. Took on a brute and won. She's actually pretty good with a gun, so I let her fight with me. There's Liara, Asari. Our Prothean expert. She's been helpful in trying to help me understand my vision."

He paused. "I should explain that too. I got a vision from a Prothean beacon. It's not really clear yet. All it's told me is that the Protheans were wiped out by sentient machines called 'Reapers.' And Saren is trying to bring them back with something called the Conduit. My mission is to stop him, and the more time goes by, the more I think that understanding that vision is the key to victory. So it's important that Liara remains on the team. Plus, she's also our medic and secondary biotic specialist after Kaidan, so she's useful in a fight."

He sighed. "You're not gonna like the last one. N'tho 'Sraom, hands down the strangest soldier I've got right now. First of all, he's an elite."

The graves remained silent as the breeze continued to blow gently, raising no fuss. "You guys are actually alright with that, huh?" he asked. "I guess you would be. You've probably known about the truce for a while now. Well, I haven't quite gotten used to it yet."

He paused. "N'tho is young, inexperienced and reckless. Insubordinate too. Really, I should have kicked him off a while ago, but he's good at what he does." He chuckled. "He actually acts more like a Human than you would think. Hell, ironically he's the most Human alien on the team. Apparently, after all the cultural exchange we had with them, a lot of elites decided they liked Human culture and started acting like us after a while. It's weird."

He paused and took a few deep breaths. He wasn't sure what else to say. "They're good. I wouldn't have kept them on board for so long if they weren't." Chief began to explain. "But….well…..they're not you guys. They questioned my orders, they were insubordinate…" he trailed off. "They weren't Spartans. They weren't my family." he said.

He paused. He thought. "But I think they tried to be." he noted. "I kept Cortana a secret from the crew. I couldn't risk the Council finding out about her. I couldn't lose her. Garrus tried to tell me I should tell the crew about Cortana, to trust the crew more. I pushed him away. Maybe he was trying to help me. If he was, he wasn't the only one. Liara's been offering a listening ear, to let me vent. Get some things off my chest. Then Ashley came and tried to pull me out of this funk, and she came close. I might not even be here right now if she hadn't dragged me to that colosseum."

He rubbed his throat. "As you might have noticed, I'm talking a lot more than I usually do. That's because I've been doing a lot more talking these days. Guess when you're a Spectre, you've got a lot more to say than a Spartan does."

He paused. "I failed my last mission." he said. "I…I _had_ Saren. He was in my custody. But he slipped away because I made a bad decision. I tried to take him on alone. I kept mission-critical data to myself because I didn't trust my team enough with it, and it wound up captured and then destroyed." He paused again. "Same thing almost happened to me. I was captured and almost destroyed. I'd be a corpse on a dissection table by now if my team hadn't rescued me when they did. Wish you guys could have seen them. I couldn't see them cuz I was strapped to a table at the time, but from what Cortana told me later, they went in with a plan and executed like a well-oiled machine. When they freed me, we fought together, like a good team should."

He averted his gaze slightly downwards. "They found out about Cortana. The whole crew did. I doubt they trust me anymore. Whole thing's got me wondering if I'm even cut out to be a Spectre. I've got responsibilities now that I never had to worry about as a Spartan. Makes me wonder how Keyes, Cole and Hood all did it."

He raised his gaze back towards the graves. "What am I supposed to do?" Chief asked.

The graves gave him no answer. Only silence.

The Chief dropped his gaze again, unsure of what else to say. He had confessed all of his problems to his old friends, the burdens of leadership and his failure to live up to them. Now what? It's not as though they could respond. As he continued staring at the graves, he remembered all the times he shared with them.

….

_Sam and Kelly walked up to John. Sam shoved him. John's temper flared. He wanted to hit Sam in the face, but he was too tired. He needed all his strength to get to the bell. "You better help us." Sam hissed. "Or I'll push you off one of those platforms!"_

_"And I'll jump on top of you!" Kelly added._

_"Okay." John whispered. "Just try not to slow me down."_

…_._

_"What do you wanna do?" Kelly asked him. John wondered why she thought he had an answer. He looked around and saw everyone was watching him, waiting for him to speak. He shifted on his feet. He had to say something. _

_"Okay. We don't know who these men are, or what they'll do when they see us. So we find out." The Children nodded, seeming to think this was the right thing to do. "Here's how." John told them. "First, I'll need a rabbit…."_

….

_John whistled the singsong six-note melody and called: _"Oly Oly Oxen Free!"

_Red Team emerged first and marched across the meadow. Kelly paused to kick one of the men in the head; she took his rifle, too._

_Linda and Fred dropped down from a tree branch and ran across the field. _"Oly Oly Oxen Free!"_ Linda repeated, grinning from ear to ear. "All out in the free! We're all free!"_

…_._

_He turned to face Fhajad and the others. He snapped to attention and saluted. Fhajad managed to raise one shaking arm and return the salute. The orderlies wheeled him away._

…_._

_"Don't waste time talking." Sam said. "Our new friends aren't gonna wait for us while we figure this out."_

_He started the timers. "There. It's decided." A three-minute countdown appeared in the corners of their heads-up displays. "Now get going you two."_

_John clasped Sam's hand and squeezed it. Kelly hesitated, then saluted. John turned and grabbed her arm. "Come on, Spartan. Don't look back."_

…_._

_John set a hand on Kurt's shoulder, searching for the right words._

_Kelly, as usual, articulated the sentiments that John never could. She said "Welcome to Blue, Spartan. We're going to make a great team."_

These memories stirred up another memory. It was November 2nd, 2525. The day he and the other SPARTAN-II's were officially briefed on the emergence of a new threat to the UNSC; the Covenant. It was also the last time he ever saw Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez, the man who made John what he was today. He remembered the Chief's parting words well.

_Recruits. Soon, your training will be complete, and you will graduate to the rank of Petty Officer second class in the UNSC. One of the first things you will learn is that change is part of a soldier's life. You will make and lose friends. You will move. This is part of the job._

John put on a small smile. "Cortana was right." he said. "The more things change, the more they really do stay the same."

He snapped off a crisp salute at the assorted tombstones. "Thanks guys." John said before walking away from the graves.

….

It was dusk by the time the Master Chief returned from the Glass Wastes. The sun was gone and the sky had taken the dark blue hue of early night. Though Reach was well known throughout Council Space for its beautiful night sky, of its global aurora borealis and its awe-inspiring moons Csodaszarvas and Turul, none of those things were visible tonight. A blanket of clouds had rolled in over New Alexandria, and a light drizzle had begun.

Chief walked up the concourse back towards the starport where the _Normandy _was docked. Civilians walked by him and payed him significantly less notice than they did earlier that day, probably because he wasn't wearing his iconic armor that made him stand out. Despite the advantage of not getting stared at, odd looks from strangers was something he was willing to tolerate if it meant being ready for battle at all times.

Up ahead was a girl. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall of some nameless building with a large overhang to shield her from the rain. She had fair skin, full lips, and long brown hair. She was playing on an acoustic guitar and singing, the open guitar case on the ground in front of her containing some credits. Chief immediately identified her as a street performer. She probably had difficulty finding a job, and so sought to turn a profit on a combination of her own talent and faith in other people's generosity.

She was a very good singer. He liked her choir-like voice. It was subdued, yet powerful at the same time. As he walked by, he fished some credits out of his pocket and dropped them in the guitar case. The young woman nodded her thanks as she kept singing. As the Chief walked on, he listened to the song she sang.

_Hope can drown_

_Lost in thunderous sound_

_Fear can claim_

_What little faith remains_

_But I carry strength from souls now gone_

_They won't let me give in..._

_I will never surrender_

_We'll free the Earth and sky_

_Crush my heart into embers_

_And I will reignite…_

….

"Hey Master Chief." Joker greeted without looking up from his console as the Spartan came out of the airlock and onto the bridge. That surprised Chief. Yes, the pilot was no doubt familiar with his footfall by now, but that was when Chief was wearing his armor. It should have been much lighter now without it. "So, how'd the date with Ashley go?" Joker said as he looked over his shoulder.

"It wasn't a date." Chief replied.

"Uh-huh." Joker replied. "Anyway, Lawrence wanted to let you know that a special package from ONI came today."

"What kind of package?" Chief asked.

"A big and heavy one." Joker answered. "Had him spooked too. Kept saying that they must be up to something if they were giving you free stuff."

The Chief wasn't surprised. Even back in the 26th century, few people outside of ONI trusted the organization. Once again, the more things change, the more they stay the same. "Where is it?" he asked.

"In the garage." Joker replied as he turned back to whatever he was working on. "Huge crate with yellow tape. Can't miss it."

With a nod, the Chief marched down the bridge and past the CIC to the stairs leading down to deck two and took the elevator down to deck three. Sure enough, there was a very large crate with yellow tape located next to the mako. As the Chief approached it, he noted the pyramid with the open eye at its top, confirming where it came from. He also noted the 'OPEN FROM THIS SIDE' text below the pyramid.

After ripping off the yellow tape, he pressed a red button that was located near the upper right-hand corner of the crate. As soon as he pressed it, the button went from red to green as the bolt from that corner popped out of its socket with an audible ping and flew a few feet before landing on the floor. After doing the same thing with the other four corners, he removed the now loose side of the crate, gently moving it aside. With the side gone, he looked inside the crate.

Inside were what looked like a pair of wardrobes. On the left side were a series of drawers and on the other side was a closet door, both made from some kind of plastic. He pulled out one of the drawers and was surprised to find a pair of SAW's. He pulled out another drawer and found a railgun similar to the one Wrex used back at the training course in the Highland Mountains. He pulled the drawer on the very bottom and found a very rare Covenant weapon; a type-52 guided munitions launcher, aka the plasma launcher. On top of it was a datapad. Curious, the Chief picked up the datapad and read it.

_To Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-117_

_First, let me begin by saying welcome to the 27th Century and congratulations on making it into the Spectres. I regret not having been able to welcome and congratulate you sooner, just as I regret not being able to welcome and congratulate you in person. However, the circumstances surrounding both of our current stations make it so that this will likely be the only communication the two of us will have, at least for the time being._

_I have been watching you closely since your reinstatement back into active duty, and I am pleased to say that you are everything I always imagined you to be. Everything _Humanity _always imagined you to be. You're exactly the kind of man we need, especially in times as trying and uncertain as these._

_However, it has been brought to my attention that you've recently experienced a setback in your campaign. Your mission on Eletania was deemed a failure by the Citadel Council. While they did not take you off the hunt for Saren, they did hand the mission to find and secure Halo to Spectre Jondum Bau. Now to his credit, Bau is a talented Spectre. However, we both know that you are more qualified for that particular mission than any other Spectre, living or dead. The Council's decision disappointed me, but I can't honestly say it surprised me._

_I'm afraid I can not do anything to change the minds of the Council, but there is something else I can help you with. It has also been brought to my attention that your armor suffered significant damage during your altercation with Saren Arterius. As soon as this was noted, I ordered that a new, custom-built suit of MJOLNIR armor be made specifically for you. It wasn't difficult, as it was partially based on a prototype armor design we were already working on. It was completed in just over a day. It still amazes me how much you can do in so little time when there are no bureaucracies or politics to keep you chained._

_Anyway, you'll find the armor in the closet portion of this crate, provided you haven't found it in there already. It comes with all the usual bells and whistles you've come to expect; a fully-functional omni-tool, internal and external medi-gel / biofoam injectors, energy shield systems, hydrostatic gel, most of it should be intimately familiar to you by now. However, it comes with a few new features. The armor proudly boasts an M805X Forward Acceleration System, an M2705 Regenerative Kinetic Dispersal Field, a Type-27 Responsive Holographic Form Emulator, and a Z-2500 Automated Protection Drone. Acquiring that fourth armor system was admittedly quite difficult for reasons that will be obvious as soon as you use it. Additionally, the plating of the armor itself has been reinforced by polycrystalline-composites, making it considerably more resistant to biotics and other types of incoming projectiles than your old armor was. You may also notice minor details in the armor's design that are both aesthetic and pragmatic, details that may not be obvious to the average civilian but should garner a fair appreciation from a soldier as experienced as you. Strapped to the armor's left thigh is a monomolecular combat knife capable of stabbing and slashing through shields, kinetic barriers and a Geth's chassis. Finally in addition to the armor, several different kinds of heavy weaponry have been included in this package, just for good measure. It never hurts to bring a little extra firepower to the fight._

_By now, you've no doubt noticed that the tone of this letter is unusually informal by ONI standards. Well, there's a reason for that. This package didn't come from ONI at all. Yes, this crate was clearly labeled as an ONI package, but only so that it could find its way onto your ship without raising too much suspicion. All things considered, it would be better if I did not divulge who I am at this time. For now, let's say that I am simply a man who wants nothing more than for your mission to succeed. Good luck, and know that no matter where you go, Humanity is proud to call you one of our own._

_Regards,_

_A Friend from Afar_

Once he finished reading the datapad, he paused. If this package didn't come from ONI, where _did _it come from? No other organization would have the resources to construct and deliver a custom-built set of MJOLNIR armor. Suspicious, he briskly walked back over to the elevator and punched the switch.

As soon as he arrived back on deck two, he marched with purpose to the med bay. Dr. Chakwas wasn't there as he made his way to the storage room, but sure enough, there was Liara sitting at her computer as usual. Cortana's avatar floated from the keyboard. Liara looked over her shoulder and jumped.

"Gah!" she yelped as she jumped out of her chair. "Who are you?!"

"It's me." Chief replied.

"…..Master Chief?" Liara asked, recognizing his voice. "Oh….OH! By the Goddess, I am so sorry. It's just, I didn't recognize you without the helmet-"

"Apology accepted. I need Cortana for a minute." Chief quickly replied.

"Alright." Cortana said. She turned to the Asari. "Yank me."

"Um, very well." Liara replied before gently withdrawing Cortana's data crystal from her computer and handing it to the Chief. He quickly snatched the crystal and walked away, plugging it into his omni-tool.

"I get the feeling that we may have a crisis on our hands." Cortana said as her avatar appeared over the Spartan's omni-tool.

"Possibly." Chief replied. "We got a package from ONI that contains heavy weaponry and a new set of MJOLNIR armor."

"Well that's good news." Cortana cheerfully replied. "Now you won't have to go buy one of those generic commercial armors. I mean, they're pretty good for an ordinary Human, but I we both know you're no ordinary Human."

"Except it's not actually from ONI." the Chief said as he approached elevator. The door opened and he stepped inside.

"What do you mean?" Cortana asked as the Chief punched the button to take the elevator down.

"There was a letter in the package that explicitly said it wasn't from ONI, but didn't mention who it _was_ from." Chief replied as the elevator began its descent. "I checked the package and there _were _heavy weapons. Didn't check for the armor yet. I'm thinking it could be booby-trapped."

"That _does _sound suspicious." the AI admitted. "Still, one has to wonder, if someone is trying to smuggle an unpleasant surprise on your ship, why leave a letter saying it's not from known friends but rather an anonymous benefactor? Seems like that would give the game away."

"What other explanation is there?" Chief asked.

"That someone with surprisingly good connections sincerely wants to help you on the down low?" Cortana suggested.

"Maybe. But I'd like to be sure." he said as the elevator ceased its descent and opened up. The Chief walked into the garage and up to the crate. "I need you to scan this crate. Rigged explosives, listening or tracking devices, anything that's amiss."

"Sure thing. Just hold me up to it." Cortana said. Chief held up his omni-tool to the crate. Cortana spun on her heels and rubbed her chin in thought as the Spartan saw lines of code running across her holographic body as she ran her analysis. "I got nothin'." Cortana said as the lines of code stopped running. She looked over her shoulder at the Chief. "It's clean."

"No traps?" Chief asked.

"No traps, no bugs, no nothing." Cortana replied with a shrug. "Believe me, if there were anything of the sort, I would have detected it."

She smirked. "Go ahead and open that closet. I think you'll like what's inside."

Chief looked up to the closet compartment of the crate. He grabbed the handle and cautiously opened it. What he saw left him awe-struck.

"That's an incredibly advanced MJOLNIR upgrade." Cortana pointed out. "You sure this didn't come from ONI?"

"That's what the datapad said." Chief said as he reached into the drawer and held up the datapad to Cortana. It only took her a few seconds to read it.

"Interesting." Cortana said. "Well, whoever sent it, I wish they left a return address. I would have sent a thank you note."

…..

_There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering._

_Metal being welded to flesh._

_Minds being tormented._

_Blood splattering on the ground._

_Screeching of the damned._

_Eyes that spoke eons of malice._

_Odd-looking energy weapons firing up at giants._

_Cries of defiance._

_Never submit._

_Never give up._

_Move._

_A star._

_A planet._

_A light in the darkness._

_A monster._

_A roar._

_"We are your salvation through destruction."_

_Move with purpose._

…

Chief opened his eyes and groaned, rubbing them. "You had the dream again, didn't you?" Cortana asked.

"Yeah." Chief replied. He thought back to the dream and realized something.

_Odd-looking energy weapons firing up at giants._

_Cries of defiance._

_Never submit._

_Never give up._

_Move._

"But there was something new." Chief said.

"Oh?" Cortana asked.

"I think I saw the Protheans fighting back." Chief said.

…

0748 Hours, March 11th, 2683

New Alexandria, Surface of Reach

Epsilon Eridani System, Forerunner Cluster

…..

After having breakfast, the Chief told Liara of the newest development in his vision. Liara said that it was a good sign, that the Cipher was doing its job. The Chief was now able to comprehend a part of the vision that he couldn't before. The Chief didn't quite get that. Resistance? Defiance? Fighting back? Being a Spartan, it seemed like the Chief should have comprehended that part of the vision very easily, Cipher or no Cipher. In any case, this new detail offered no further clues to the Conduit's function or its precise whereabouts, making it functionally useless. Not to mention that the vision was still incomplete. His subconscious mind could analyze the vision all it wants, but until he finds another, more well-preserved Prothean beacon, he's still only seeing half of the picture.

After that, Cortana called him back to his quarters. She said that she had made some calls the previous night and that Chief had a meeting with someone in New Alexandria, specifically at the Museum of the Great War. The Chief walked down the concourse, passing various different civilians in all kinds of clothes and shops selling all kinds of items. He noted that last night's rain had stopped, though the sky was still very cloudy, implying that it might start again at any moment. Eventually, he arrived at a fence that looked out on the museum itself.

It was massive, for one. A massive stone structure with a wide set of steps that lead up to the entrance, which was lined with stone pillars that looked to be nearly fifty feet high each. In front of the museum was an incredibly large plaza, in the center of which was a marble statue of a SPARTAN-II that was easily twenty feet high, standing proudly in the middle of a large fountain whose bottom was littered with credit chits. The whole thing looked more like a temple than a museum.

Oddest of all were a couple of stands set up around the plaza, specifically two large ones on opposite side of the plaza. The one on the left was a large booth around which many New Alexandria citizens congregated. It was run by an odd assortment of Humans, Sangheili, and Salarians. He even spied an odd-looking Turian handing out juice of some kind. He noted that, unlike most of the Turians he had seen so far, that one lacked prominent head fringes and had a more rounded face with a smaller body frame. Apparently, that's what female Turians looked like. The various people working at the stand were handing out datapads and talking with whatever citizens happened to walk by. He looked at the banner hung over the long booth, and noted its design. On the far left end of the banner was the aft section of a ship sticking out of a portal, and on the far right was the bow section of that same ship sticking out of a similar portal. In between the two images were the words _Slip to the Future._

The Chief turned to the other end of the plaza. That booth too was very long and was run by people handing out juice and datapads to whoever was interested. However, the atmosphere on that end of the plaza was much rowdier than on the other side. Mostly because of the people walking around in a circle some distance away, holding up their omni-tools to the sky to project large, holographic signs and messages. The Spartan could pick out 'Remember Harvest,' Remember Reach,' and 'Remember Shanxi' among the signs, as well as 'We Bleed Red' and 'No Blood for Aliens.' Unlike the other booth, everyone working this booth were Humans. No aliens at all. The banner above the booth read _Terra Firma_, accompanied by an image of Earth in the background of the banner.

"What am I looking at here?" Chief asked.

"Political rallies, by the looks of them." Cortana answered. "According to the city's codex, this plaza is actually a pretty popular congregation site for political rallies and interest groups. Guess that big statue of you gives people the impression that this is a good spot to rally around. Anyway, the gathering on the left is Slip to the Future, a pro-slipspace interest group. On the right is Terra Firma, a pro-Human political party within the Alliance."

"Think I'll take a closer look at them." Chief said as he spotted a flight of his stairs to his right and made his way down.

"Didn't think you were interested in politics, Chief." Cortana commented.

"Normally I'm nod, but I'm actually kinda curious." Chief replied. "Besides, my mystery meeting isn't for another hour. Gotta do something interesting to kill the time. You still haven't told me who I'm meeting with, by the way."

"I told you, it's a surprise." Cortana said. "I'll tell you more once we're in the museum."

As the Chief arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he decided to head left of the fountain, to visit the Slip to the Future booth first. As he approached, a Salarian with deep green skin spotted him coming and smiled as he walked over. "Greetings sir!" he excitedly said. "My name is Drillin Gruceme. Are you interested in _slipping _your way into a better tomorrow?" he asked.

Cortana groaned into the Chief's earpiece. He looked up at the Slip to the Future banner. "So, slipspace interest group, huh?"

"Right you are, marine." Drillin said, apparently noting that the Chief was wearing Alliance marine overalls. "Slip to the Future is a non-profit organization that seeks to repeal the Citadel Council's slipspace ban."

Chief looked over to all the other Salarians working the booth along with the Turian girl handing out juice. "Didn't think anyone in the Citadel races were in favor of slipspace." he noted.

"Yeah, we get that from a lot of Humans." Drillin said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Guess it's not exactly well-known around these parts that the Council's decision to ban slipspace wasn't unanimous."

"It wasn't?" Chief asked as he looked back at Drillin. "Who voted against the ban?"

"Councilor Xiop, the Salarian Councilor at the time." Drillin replied. "He saw right away the potential of the new technology. Unfortunately, he was outvoted two to one by Turian Councilar Larnev and Asari Councilor Tevos. They thought it was too dangerous."

"So the Salarian Union supports slipspace legalization?" Chief asked, surprised that one of the Council races wanted the technology.

"Yep." Drillin cheerfully answered. "Problem is, the Asari Republics and Turian Hierarchy don't. You need at least two Council races supporting the same thing if you want it legal. Sadly, the power dynamic hasn't shifted much in the last thirty years. Councilor Valern took over after Xiop died, and he supports slipspace just as strongly as Xiop did. Tevos is still around, and she's probably still gonna be around for a couple more centuries, being an Asari and all. Her opinion hasn't changed. After Larnev died, Slip to the Future hoped that a more open-minded Turian would take over as Councilor. Course, that hope died when Sparatus was appointed. He's a FIrst Contact War veteran, so he's not likely to support anything that will directly benefit Humans."

The young Salarian smiled. "That's why we strongly support the Human Systems Alliance in their efforts to snag a Council seat. Once a Human gets inducted into the Council, it'll level the playing field in our favor. And now that a Human has made it into the Spectres, it won't be much longer now."

"….You _really _like to talk politics." Chief noted after Drillin told him a whole bunch of details that the Spartan didn't really ask for.

"Heh. Sorry. Political science major. Can't really help it." Drillin apologized.

"It's alright." Chief replied. "So you support the Alliance in their bid for a Council position?"

"Yup!" Drillin cheerfully replied.

"Well it wouldn't exactly shift the vote in your favor. Once the Alliance makes it in, then the vote would be two to two; a tie." Chief pointed out.

"Tie's better than losing." Drillin replied with a shrug. "It's a step in the right direction. Don't worry though, because we don't plan on stopping there. Once Humans become a Council race, we'll start focusing on spreading our message to Sangheilios and Eayn."

Chief raised his eyebrow. "The Sangheili and the Kig-Yar? Why try to appeal to them?"

"Don't tell me that you think Humans are the only species hot for a Council position." Drillin began with a smirk. "The Kig-Yar and the Sangheili are also eyeing the Council. The fourth Council seat is already as good as yours, but chair number five is still up for grabs. Both the Sangheili Empire and Kig-Yar Confederacy have voiced their support for slipspace legalization, so if one of those races makes it into the Council, it'll make the final slipspace vote three to two."

Chief nodded in thought. This was probably part of the Alliance's plan, now that he thought about it. Once Humanity gets into the Council, they will start endorsing ally species for additional Council seats, garnering more power in their favor. However, a thought occurred to him. "Which of the two species do you think is more likely to get the fifth Council seat?" Chief asked.

"Honestly?" Drillin asked. "I think the Kig-Yar have a more realistic chance of getting into the Council. They're natural experts in economics, politics, and law, kinda like the Volus. See, the Volus were actually among the first species to settle on the Citadel. They're masters of trade; they not only established trade routes between the Asari and Salarians, as well as all the other Citadel races as they were inducted one by one, they _invented_ the galactic credit currency system. They would have gotten their own Council seat a _long _time ago, if not for one thing."

Drillin paused. The Chief raised an eyebrow.

"Er, aren't ya gonna ask what that one thing is?" Drillin asked.

"Aren't ya gonna tell me?" Chief asked in turn.

"Point taken. Unlike the Volus, the Kig-Yar have a robust military." Drillin finally said. "I don't wanna sound mean, but the one thing the Kig-Yar have that the Volus don't is a military that's actually worth a damn. Their fleets might not be the biggest, but Kig-Yar crews are among the most efficient and organized crews in Citadel Space."

"What about the Sangheili?" Chief asked. "Their military is even stronger."

"True. The Empire has fleets that are easily on par with the Turians'. Thing is, that's all they've really got going for them. Combat is their strong suit, not business or politics. Sangheili just can't wheel and deal the way Kig-Yar can."

Drillin paused as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Though, in addition to voicing support for repealing the slipspace ban, the Empire has also voiced open support for the Alliance in its efforts to get a Council seat. Maybe they're hoping you'll put in a good word for them once you're in?"

Chief honestly hoped that the Alliance would do just that. He still wasn't entirely sure about the former- Covenant races, but if forced to choose, he would rather see power be bestowed upon noble warriors and steadfast allies of Humanity rather than cannibalistic space pirates. "Couldn't help but notice you didn't mention the Yanme'e Hives at all." Chief pointed out.

"I don't think the Yanme'e are really interested in a Council seat." Drillin replied with a shake of his head. "They're kinda like the Hanar and the Elcor. They don't really have any huge political ambitions as a species. They seem to be content where they are, at least for now."

It was then that a young Human male wearing a Slip to the Future t-shirt jogged up to Drillin. "Uh, Drillin? We've got a situation in the back?" he asked for help, not sure if he should be asking for help or not.

Drillin nodded before turning back to the Chief. "If you have more questions or would like to donate, go talk to Corona. She's the Turian girl handing out juice and pamphlets." he said before walking over to join the Human with whatever problem needed solving. Shrugging, the Chief walked over to to where the Turian girl, Corona, was handing out drinks, datapads and was having friendly conversations with interested people. She had just finished up talking to another Human when she walked over to the him. Like all Turians, she had a facial tatoo; this one was a yellow circle on her forehead, with five yellow lines extending from it all the way down to her jaw-line. She subtly spread her mandibles in what the Spartan by now recognized as a Turian smile.

"Anything I can help you with sir?" she cheerfully asked. He pointed to a neaby stack of datapads. Nodding, she grabbed one and handed it to the Chief. He began going through it, realizing this was a pamphlet.

"I was talking with that green Salarian a minute ago. He told me what you guys were all about." the Chief said.

"Yeah, that's Drillin." Corona replied. "He's in charge of this little operation. Greets people, tells them who we are and what we stand for, he's even good with the logistics. Not surprised. Salarians are expert multi-taskers."

"I still have a few questions if you don't mind." the Spartan said.

Corona looked up and down the booth. "Well, I got no one else to talk to right now, so shoot." she said.

"Drillin mentioned you accept donations. Where does the money go?" Chief asked.

"Some of it goes to slipspace research foundations." Corona answered. "The rest go towards funding the election campaigns of pro-slipspace politicians."

Chief nodded in acknowledgement. "Drillin also mentioned the importance of the Alliance getting the fourth Council seat." he commented as he began reading the pamphlet on the datapad.

"Oh yeah. This organization might have started on Sur'kesh, but on the Citadel, the Alliance is the one doing all the heavy lifting in the fight for slipspace legalization." Corona replied with a firm nod of her head. "Thing is, once the Humans get on the Council, that won't turn the tide in our favor. It'll just turn the slipspace vote into a draw. It'll be a step forward, but we need more than that. That's why Drillin says we need to start supporting the Kig-Yar and Sangheili next once the Humans make it into the Council. Personally, I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?" Chief asked.

"Unlike the Humans, the Sangheili and the Kig-Yar don't have any Spectres yet. That needs to happen before they can even _think _about a Council position. Trouble is, while the rules say any Citadel race can be a Spectre, only individuals from one of the Council races ever make the cut. That one Human, the 'Master Chief' everyone's always going on about? He only got in because he got lucky."

"So what do you think needs to happen to shift the power in your favor?" Chief asked.

"I think we need to focus on drumming up some support on Palaven and the other Turian worlds. And before you get the wrong idea, no, I'm not just saying that because _I'm _a Turian." Corona answered. "Human and Salarian support for slipspace is already in the bag. The Asari Republics _might _change their minds at some point, but Tevos was one of the councilors who voted down slipspace to begin with, and she's shown no sign of changing her mind since then. Since Tevos isn't likely to leave her office for a few centuries, our best bet of legalizing slipspace technology in the _near _future is to win Turian support. That old bareface Sparatus won't be Councilor forever. If we get a pro-slipspace Turian into the next Councilor position, Tevos will be outvoted on the issue three to one."

"Sounds like you disagree with Drillin on how to meet your goals." Chief observed, hoping it didn't mean division in their ranks.

"Kind of, but not really." Corona replied with a shrug. "Right now, we're going with an 'all of the above' solution. We've got stations on Turian, Kig-Yar and Sangheili worlds. We're letting the Kig-Yar and Sangheili know that we'll have their backs if and when their numbers come up and we're trying to convince my people that slipspace wasn't invented by evil Humans with a serious murder-boner for dead Turians."

"Nice to see not every Turian is so close-minded." Chief tried at an honest compliment.

"Condemning slipspace was easily the _stupidest_ thing the Hierarchy ever did." Corona adamantly stated. "They looked at this amazing FTL technology and what did they do? They labeled it 'too dangerous to use.'"

She looked around, then leaned in closer to the Chief once she was sure there was no one else within earshot. "If you believe some rumors…" she began in a low, hushed voice. "Some mercenaries hired by big eezo companies sabotaged the _Perdition_ right before the Pheiros Incident. Since shaw-fujikawa drives didn't need to run on element zero, slipspace tech threatened the eezo companies' bottom-line. Fucking corporations, am I right?"

Chief nodded. He continued flipping through the pamphlet. "So, how do I-"

He lost his words as soon as he saw an image of a man. A very familiar-looking man. He looked to be of Indian descent, and was restricted to a wheelchair. The image aroused an old memory.

_He turned to face Fhajad and the others. He snapped to attention and saluted. Fhajad managed to raise one shaking arm and return the salute. The orderlies wheeled him away._

He showed the image to Corona. "Who's this?" he demanded.

"Oh him?" Corona asked. "That's Lieutenant Commander Fhajad-084. He was ONI's foremost slipspace expert during the early 26th century."

"Slipspace expert?" Chief asked.

"Yep." Corona cheerfully answered. "He wrote a paper on dimensional mass and space compressions in slipstream space in 2540. The paper later appeared in the UNSC Astrophysics Journal. It's practically required reading in the higher echelons of our organization. The Human-Covenant War hero Captain Jacob Keyes read the paper and used Fhajad's theories to effectively detect incoming Covenant forces prior to the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV. After that, Fhajad received additional funding from the UNSC for additional slipspace research. The discoveries he made form the foundation of modern slipspace translocation technology."

"….Why's he in a wheelchair?" Chief asked, though he already knew the answer.

"That's a story all its own." Corona answered. "There's a reason his name came with a number. He was one of the volunteers who signed up for the SPARTAN-II project. He was going to be a Spartan, like the Master Chief. Sadly, the augmentation procedures didn't have a one-hundred percent success rate. He was one of the unlucky ones. Something went wrong with his nervous system and he was diagnosed with Fletcher's Syndrome shortly afterwards. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, but that didn't make him any less brilliant."

The last time Chief ever saw Fhajad was when he was wheeled out of a room by a pair of orderlies, with nothing to comfort him but a promise from CPO Mendez that, though he can no longer fight, he will still serve. Turns out, Mendez was right. Fhajad may not have went on to be a soldier, but he still went on to be a shining example of Humanity.

Chief smiled as he turned to Corona. "He sounded like a great man." he said.

"He was." Corona said with a nod. "Trust me. I did a biography report on him last fall."

Chief snapped on his omni-tool. "So, how do I donate?"

"Just send some money to . Even if you only have a single credit to spare, it would be appreciated." Corona said.

"I'll give more than that." Chief said. "How does eight hundred forty sound?"

Corona's eyes widened at that. "That's…..that's the largest donation anyone has made all day! I think that entitles you to several-"

"No prizes." Chief said as he made the transaction. "I'm just helping a good cause."

"…Thank you." Corona said with a grateful bow. "Feel free to keep that datapad, by the way."

"I plan to. Thank you." Chief said as he tucked the data pad into his pocket and walked away.

"Eight hundred forty." Cortana idly commented into his earpiece. "Eight-four-zero. Oh wait, maybe more like zero-eight-four? Tribute to an old friend, I take it?"

"It's a cause he'd get behind." Chief replied as he continued walking towards the other side of the plaza.

"Wait…." Cortana said as she noticed the direction in which the Chief was walking. "Please don't tell me you're going to do what I think you're going to do."

"Got another forty minutes to kill." Chief replied. "Might as well hear what they've got to say too."

"Chief, _no_." Cortana said. "I've done some research on these guys and, trust me, you _really _don't want to be involved with Terra Firma."

"They can't be that bad." Chief said as he approached the Terra Firma booths. He saw the booth attendants handing out datapads and the picketers marching in a circle behind those booths. As he walked over, he noticed a man wearing long pants and a t-shirt walk over.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Cortana replied. The man approaching the Chief had raven-black hair and a mustache / goatee combo to match, as well as tanned skin. He smiled as he took the Chief's hand and pumped it heartily with a smile.

"Always an honor to meet an Alliance marine." he greeted in what sounded like a light southern North American accent. "What's your name and rank, son?"

"Petty Officer Steven Downes." Chief said, making up a name completely off the top of his head. He was incognito at the moment, and he preferred to stay that way. "And you are?"

"Ah yes. Probably should've given you _my_ name and rank first. Apologies." the man replied. "I'm Charles Saracino of the Terra Firma Party. With Armistice Day coming soon, we're making our voices heard by the alien appeasers here in New Alexandria. Can I count on your support in the next election?"

"Armistice Day?" Chief asked.

"The anniversary of the end of the First Contact War. We're holding a protest this year, as we have for the last twenty-six years. The war taught Humanity a lesson that many would forget; we don't stand up for ourselves, no one else will."

"So what are you running for?" Chief asked.

"I'm seeking one of the five spacer seats in Parliament. They have certain baroque conditions for a citizen to be able to vote for them. You have to spend more than six months a year in space, but you can't have stayed in more than one settled system a month." Saracino smirked. "You spend most of your time in space, don't you Petty Officer?"

"That I do." Chief admitted. He spared a glance at the booth. "Never paid much attention to politics though. What's Terra Firma's platform?"

Saracino straightened up, tucking his arms behind his back. "Our core value is that Earth must stand firm against alien influences; politically, culturally, and in the worst case, militarily."

"I've heard a nasty rumor or two about your party." Chief pointed out, remembering a conversation he had with Ashley and Kaidan a couple of weeks ago over a game of poker. "Apparently, a lot of your supporters are racist."

"Well, I can't deny that some of our supporters have extreme views." Saracino conceded. "But our platform is also supported by economists, sociologists, and medical professionals. And before you point it out, no, I don't curtail the comments of our more extreme supporters, and I choose not to on principal. Whether I disagree with them or not, they have the right to express their opinion."

"Fair enough." Chief replied. He took a moment to think. "Truth be told, I've never been really satisfied with some of the decisions the Alliance has made in the last few decades."

"That a fact?" Saracino asked with a smile and hands on his hips.

"It's mostly all the concessions they made to the Council." Chief admitted. "I like peace too, but was so much sacrifice really necessary?"

"The answer is a definitive no." Saracino adamantly replied. "No peace is worth Humanity's pride as a species. The Council imposed the AI and slipspace bans because they were scared of us, scared of what we might do if left unopposed. So they initiated the bans in the hopes of slowing down Human expansion across the galaxy."

The Terra Firma candidate smiled. "I'm actually rather torn. On the one hand, the Alliance should have never conceded to those bans. On the other hand, with all the progress we've made, expanding our territory into the Attican Traverse and Skyllian Verge, it would seem that the bans ultimately did very little to curb Human growth. I cannot deny a certain smug satisfaction from accomplishing so much in spite of the bans."

"Well, we are Humans." Chief replied with a shrug. "Rising to the challenge is in our nature. Maybe we took the bans as that; a challenge."

Saracino chuckled heartily. "You may well be right." he admitted with a point of his finger. "Still, while some challenges should be taken up, there are others that we should just walk away from. I feel that the bans fell in the latter category. I promise you, if elected to parliament, I won't let the alien appeasers make a single more concession to the Council races without a fight."

Chief nodded in approval. He looked over his shoulder and spied the Slip to the Future booths on the other side of the plaza. "You know, Slip to the Future wants to repeal the slipspace ban." he said as he turned back towards Saracino. "Granted, that would still leave the AI ban, but it would still be a step in the right direction. You ever think about cooperating with them?"

That was when something odd happened. Saracino's face suddenly went from jolly to stern. Chief suddenly got a bad feeling. "A couple of things, Petty Officer." he began. "First of all, take another look at those booths. Notice anything odd?"

Chief looked back over to the Slip to the Future booths. He shrugged. "Not really." he said.

"Only about half of the volunteers working those booths are Human. The rest are alien." Saracino pointed out.

"So?" Chief asked.

"Slip to the Future is a _Salarian_-founded organization. It runs in the hands of _aliens._" Saracino said as he straightened himself out again. "Slipspace is a _Human _concern, Petty Officer. Anyone else is just sticking their nose where it don't belong. Second, you seem to be have the same misconception about Terra Firma's platform as many others. We do not just advocate the repeals of bans or the prevention of future bans."

"You don't?" Chief asked.

"Submitting to the Citadel Council on those issues was the worst mistake the Alliance has ever made. Make no mistake about that." Saracino went on. "But what tragically few people realize is that the Alliance's decision to submit is merely a symptom of a greater disease. The problem with Slip to the Future is that it merely seeks to treat the symptom. Terra Firma seeks to cure the disease."

"So what's the disease?" Chief asked.

"Alien influence." Saracino said. "The trouble started in the years following what the Sangheili call 'The Great Schism,' otherwise known as the Covenant Civil Wars. After Humanity and the Sangheili opened formal diplomatic relations with one another, much cultural exchange took place. This lead to the rise of the 'Squidhead' counter-culture in Sangheili society. Course, one must remember that cultural exchange works both ways. They influenced us just as we influenced them."

With that, the Terra Firma candidate began pacing. "Humans eating Sangheili dishes, wearing Sangheili clothes, children fighting each other with toy versions of the very same energy swords that were used to slay Humans by the thousands, I dare say there were times where some of the younger ones started thinking that their blood was purple. It only got worse as the other Covenant races all came out of the woodwork one by one and exchanged their own ideas with Humanity. We were losing our identity, what it meant to be Human."

He turned on his heel and faced the Chief. "This all came to a head a century later on Shanxi. It was a Human world. Ours and ours alone. No other race had any business there. Yet the first thing the Alliance did when it got word of the invasion and subsequent occupation of a Human world was run up and down our home cluster, pleading help from aliens who just a century prior wanted to see every last Human being dead."

"We were under attack by an unknown enemy of unknown strength." Chief pointed out. "We knew that calling on allies would make the odds better for us. It was the pragmatic thing to do."

"Pragmatic? Maybe. But was it the _right _thing to do?" Saracino asked.

Chief paused.

"….I'd say doing everything in your power to liberate a colony full of innocent people was the right thing to do." Chief replied.

"In any case, cooperating with aliens for so long is what fostered the appeaser attitude the Alliance has developed in the last twenty or thirty years." Saracino went on. "We never should have opened formal diplomatic ties with the Sangheili. _That _is what put us on the slippery slope. I understand that they lent us their aid in the final days of the Great War, but once the danger had passed, we should have gone our separate ways and, more importantly, _stay _separate."

"I take it you have similar opinions about the Council?" Chief asked.

"Indeed." Saracino answered. "The minute such bans were proposed, we should have just walked away. Shut down our embassy, cut all ties. We didn't venture into the greater galaxy just to have aliens tell us what to do."

"I've heard some people say that remaining separate from the Council races would have inevitably lead to war." Chief commented, remembering the conversation he had with Kaidan just prior to the Eden Prime mission.

"That's just what some of the more 'pragmatic' appeasers claim." Saracino replied. "The truly naive ones go so far as to claim that we should be seizing the opportunity to be part of a 'greater inter-species community,' regardless of the costs." he scoffed again. "We've heard _that _before in Human history. Well-meaning naiveté leads to declarations of peace in our time. But we can't allow anything like Harvest, Reach or Shanxi to happen again. We must resist all forms of alien influence. We must even stand ready to secede from the Citadel races if they cross one more line."

He straightened up again. "Some may say that would lead to war. They may be right. But if that would indeed be the case, then I say let let the war come. As Thomas Jefferson once said, the tree of liberty must be watered, from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. If you ask me, I'd say the tree is long overdue for a good watering."

"What about joining the Council?" Chief asked. "Getting a seat on the Council is the Alliance's goal right now. If we do get that seat, there'll be a lot of changes in Council space, all for Humanity's better interests."

"Please." Saracino dismissed. "Completely setting aside that we shouldn't have joined the Citadel races to begin with, which would have made our Council prospects moot, joining the Council would only worsen our alien influence problem. We would lose more and more of what makes Humanity so special. Unfortunately, the Alliance is too blinded, both by its fear of war _and_ its lust for political power, to see that."

It was then that a young man walked up to Saracino. "No new sightings, Mr. Saracino."

"Still?" Saracino asked.

"No one's seen hide or hair of him ever since he entered the Olympic Tower yesterday." he went on.

"Damn. ONI probably sneaked him off the planet while no one was looking." Saracino replied with a sigh. "Alright, call off the search." The young Human nodded before walking away while typing something on his omni-tool.

"What was that about?" Chief asked.

"We've been looking for the Master Chief." Saracino replied. "We heard he was here on Reach. Landed here just yesterday in fact. Unfortunately, it would seem that he's long-gone now. Far as we can tell, he never stays in the same system for more than a day or two, most likely from all the missions and assignments he's been receiving these days."

"Why've you been tracking him?" Chief asked, suddenly getting another bad feeling.

"I was hoping I could convince him to issue a public statement of support for my candidacy." Saracino replied. "The support of the first Human Spectre and the last living Spartan would have been invaluable. But more important than that, the rather unsavory rumors that have sprung up about him concern me. I was hoping to talk to him about them."

"Rumors?" Chief asked.

"Rumor has it that he's been traveling…._with aliens._" Saracino answered. "Can you believe that? The Master Chief himself, turning into a sympathizer. I pray that those rumors are wrong, but if they aren't, I feel that it is Terra Firma's responsibility to remind the Master Chief of where his loyalties are _supposed _to lie."

Chief suppressed the urge to twitch, bristle, or give any other tell that he was irritated. "I think he's still loyal to Humanity." he argued. "If he _is _traveling with aliens, I imagine it's so they would help him. They're probably good at what they do, so Chief brought them along to put their talents to use."

"Ah yes, and I suppose _that _would be the 'pragmatic thing to do' as well?" Saracino asked with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head. "That's the problem with Humanity today. We care more about pragmatism than _principal._"

"If you care so much about principal, maybe you should respect the Chief's judgement." the Spartan said. "Alien or not, that's still _his team _you're talking about."

"'His team' has alien nationals on an Alliance warship." Saracino argued. "None of them are Alliance military, ergo, none of them have any business on board the _Normandy._ If the Master Chief truly needs help that badly, he could have easily found it elsewhere, from _Human_ sources. Still can, as a matter of fact. Every single alien on his team can be easily replaced with a Human of equal skill."

John suppressed the urge to punch him in the face. Professional or not, Human or not, those aliens were his team. His friends. But that wasn't all. The true bite of Saracino's words came from knowing that, just a few days earlier, those words were the Spartan's exact thoughts. Now that those words were, literally and figuratively, staring at him in the face, he realized how wrong they were.

Chief took a deep breath to calm himself and review the matter at hand more objectively. Slip to the Future was an organization that promoted the repeal of the worst mistake the Council ever made. The fact that it's run by non-Humans shouldn't really matter if their ends are the same as Humanity's. Meanwhile, Terra Firma wants to refuse any and all forms of alien influence, even beneficial things like military aid and cooperation towards shared goals. The Chief was personally still against all the 'appeasing' the Alliance has done, but Terra Firma only represented the opposite extreme, which was hardly the ideal path for Humanity in his view.

Chief shook his head. "Don't get me wrong Mr. Saracino. I agree with _some _of what you say, but not all of it I'm afraid."

"I understand." Saracino said with a nod. "I'm glad you support the democratic process, at least. Thank you for your time, Petty Officer. Help yourself to a free datapad at the booth if you want more information on our platform. Remember Terra Firma on election day, cuz Terra Firma remembers you."

Chief nodded and walked over to one of the booths, taking a Terra Firma datapad out of courtesy. He then began walking towards the museum proper. As soon as he was inside and out of Saracino's line of sight, he tossed the datapad away in the nearest trash bin. "Good news." Cortana chirped. "As far as I can tell, your brain is still alright, which means that exposing yourself to Terra Firma didn't kill any of your brain cells."

"They _are _a little extreme, aren't they?" Chief asked.

"You don't know the half of it. When Saracino said that some of his supporters have extreme views, he wasn't kidding. I've done my research and have read comments by supposed Terra Firma party members that are so ugly that it makes you stop and think how such hatred is even possible." the AI explained. "Course, there's a high probability that most of those types of comments are simply exaggerations meant to provoke a reaction from other commenters, but still."

"You're observing extranet comments and you're worried about _my _brain cells?" Chief asked.

"…Touche'." Cortana replied. "Anyway, it's almost time for your mystery meeting. Proceed to the 'Fall of Reach' section, please. The signs should lead you there."

"Still haven't told me who I'm meeting." Chief pointed out.

"I suppose I should change that." Cortana admitted. "Okay. Remember our 'good friend' Nassana Dantius?"

….

Emily Wong had been a Citadel girl for most of her life. Her parents moved there when she was just a toddler. She grew up on Kithoi Ward, and so had a very multicultural upbringing. She went to school with aliens, she worked with aliens, she even dated a few aliens. It _was _college after all; a time to experiment. She dated a Turian, a Drell, even a Sangheili. She wasn't as bad as her Asari roommate though. _She _had sex with a pair of Mgalekgolo bond brothers _at the same time._ She described it as a Hanar's massaging skills combined with a Krogan's roughness, a mental picture that Emily _really _didn't need. But hey, Emily's fault for asking, she supposed.

It had always been in Emily's nature to ask questions, to examine evidence, to find the truth. Her father always thought she might have had a career in law or law enforcement. But she was far more interested in journalism. As soon as she graduated from Kithoi University with her journalism major, it didn't take her long to find a job at Citadel NewsNet.

Problem was, she was still just a small-time reporter. Her bosses had her working small stories; lawsuits, local events, election coverages, nothing that would have made the 'front page' as the centuries-old journalism saying went. What she needed was a big break. She thought she had gotten that big break while investigating organized crime in the Kithoi Arm's lower wards, specifically the crime lord known only as Fist. She even thought she got lucky when Fist's club / hideout Chora's Den was suddenly assaulted by an unidentified pack of gunmen a couple of weeks ago. She was able to get there after the fighting was over but before C-Sec arrived to close off the scene. Unfortunately, when she looked around in Fist's room, all she found was Fist's bleeding corpse and a destroyed data disk, likely shot up in the fighting. So much for _that _big break.

Her vacation couldn't have come soon enough. Having such a big story slip from her grasp was quite the blow to her morale. She really did need a break. Her family chose Reach as their vacation spot, mostly because, well, it was Reach. It was a planet with a lot of history, a planet where the fate of the Human race was ultimately decided. It was like an unofficial Mecca for all mankind; you couldn't really call yourself a Human with a straight face until you've visited Reach at least once in your life. The Wong family was thinking of renting a yacht and going for a pleasant cruise around one of the planet's famous crater seas.

So imagine Emily's surprise when she got an anonymous tip saying that he had information on a diplomat working on the Citadel, information that said diplomat doesn't want anyone to know. She was told to meet him in the Fall of Reach section of the Museum of the Great War.

Emily had never visited the museum before, and marveled at all the dioramas and artifacts on display as she walked through it. It didn't take very long to arrive in the Fall of Reach section. It was a large, circular room with all kinds of 26th century artifacts under glass cases, mostly weapons used by both sides of the conflict. On one side of the room was a diorama of New Alexandria as it was glassed by the Covenant. On the other side was a pair of wax statues depicting a SPARTAN-III and a Sangheili zealot frozen in time as they grappled with one another. Emily walked up to this exhibit and, checking to make sure no one was looking, reached forward and touched the tip of the zealot's energy sword. She pulled her finger back as it was pricked, checking it, relieved to see that it wasn't bleeding.

She turned around and observed what was arguably the centerpiece of this part of the museum, the Monument to NOBLE Team, also known as the Monument of Light. It was a unique piece of 3D art, 'drawn' by a robotic arm over the course of 20 days. The piece was made up of 54,439 points of light suspended over a holographic platform, the points of light combining together to form a 3D image of NOBLE Team. In front of the monument was a plaque that read the following;

_When all hope on Planet Reach seemed lost,_

_Noble Team stood united in defense of humankind._

_In honor of their heroism we come together._

_Remember Noble. Remember Reach._

_The monument to Noble Team burns brighter_

_with each who remembers their courage._

Not far from the Monument of Light was a single, beaten up, Spartan helmet that was on display under a glass case. It was the helmet of Noble Six, found in an old battlefield in 2589 when the planet was just starting to be recolonized again. It was by this exhibit that Emily saw a very tall man wearing Alliance overalls. He was observing the helmet before he looked up and noticed her. He walked over to her in a calm, almost business-like way.

"Emily Wong?" he asked in a deep, gravelly sort of voice.

"That's me. Emily Wong, Citadel NewsNet." she replied. "I take it you're my anonymous tipper?"

"I am." he replied. "And with all due respect, I'd rather you keep me anonymous."

"Okay. What do you have for me?" Wong asked.

"Have you ever heard of an Asari diplomat named Nassana Dantius? She works as the Republics' diplomat to the Sangheili Empire." the tall man began.

….

The rain had started again in New Alexandria. It was heavy enough that hoods and umbrellas were recommended by the local forecasters but light enough that it didn't really send anyone looking for shelter. New Alexandria had always been a rainy city. Nothing short of a torrential downpour would so much as phase most of its inhabitants.

The Master Chief was walking down the dock back to the _Normandy_. The docking bay had a roof over its walkways, so the Chief's head was shielded from the rain. As he approached the bridge that connected the _Normandy _to the docks, he noticed a man in uniform standing by the entrance. He stood rigidly and properly, his hands tucked behind his lower back. He looked like he was talking about something with Victor Lawrence, the _Normandy's _requisition officer. As the Chief got closer, he realized that the man in uniform was very upset.

"Look, I don't know when he'll be back. He didn't say." an exasperated Lawrence said.

"Is this _truly _how the Master Chief conducts himself? Leaving the ship willy-nilly whenever he bloody well feels like it?" the officer asked in an English accent.

"Can I help you, sir?" Chief asked as he walked up to the man. The man turned on his heel to face the Chief. He was an older man, a prim and proper gray mustache on his face and the neck on his skin wrinkled. Chief saw an S-1 on his breast along with a few medals, showing that he was from ONI. He raised his eyebrow.

"Well, you can help me by calling the Master Chief here _right now._" he said, indignation dripping off his words.

"You're looking at him, sir." the Chief replied.

"Oh. Well. Very good." the man replied, apparently not expecting the man in front of him to be the Spartan himself. He then crisply saluted. "Brigadier Alfred Germain Lethbridge-Stewart, Systems Alliance Army and liaison to Office of Naval Intelligence Section One." Chief returned the salute. "First off, let me begin by congratulating you on that successful op you ran back in the Highland Mountains. Couldn't have a rogue VI running about, so you have our thanks for taking care of that."

"It was my job, sir." Chief replied.

"That said, I believe you have something that belongs to ONI, and I'm here to pick it up." the Brigadier said. "I understand that you acquired some very valuable slipspace data from a Forerunner facility on Eletania, yes?"

"Yes sir. It's in the ship." Chief said.

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Go on and get it. Quick as you like, I haven't all day." the Brigadier ordered. With a nod, the Chief walked across the bridge connecting the dock to the _Normandy's _airlock.

The Chief walked past the CIC and down the staircase to deck two, where his personal quarters were. Once he was inside his quarters, he sat down at his desk and pulled out his drawer, digging up the OSD containing the Forerunner slipspace drive data, the one he took from Tali on Eletania.

….Took from Tali.

_I thought we were friends._

Chief sighed. Those words stung him, but at the time he tried to shrug them off, justifying it by telling himself that he wasn't on this mission to make friends. He was on this mission to get it done. Now, he wasn't so sure anymore. He looked down on the OSD, remembering the argument he had with Tali over it. She was right. If he hands this over to ONI, the Quarians would likely never see it again. The Quarian Flotilla had nothing to offer the Alliance, so there would be no incentive to share the data with them. But what could the Spartan do? He couldn't withhold data from ONI.

It was then that he realized that this wasn't the first time he faced this particular dilemma.

_I've prepared two separate reports on this for ONI Section Three. The first has all relevant data on my analysis and the possible technology to counter an initial Flood infestation. The second includes the source material: Private Jenkins's and Sergeant Johnson's mission logs and the Sergeant's medical files. I leave it up to you which to deliver to Lieutenant Haverson._

_Why would I withhold any data, Doctor?_

_For a long time I had thought that we had to sacrifice a few for the good of the entire Human race. I have killed and maimed and caused a great deal of suffering to many people, all in the name of self-preservation. But now I'm not sure that philosophy has worked out too well. I should have been trying to save every single Human life, no matter what it cost. If you give ONI the first report, they may be able to find a countermeasure for the Flood. Maybe. They would have a slightly better chance, however, if you give them the second report._

_Then I'll give them the second report._

_Which will murder Sergeant Johnson. ONI will not be satisfied to take a sample of blood. They will dissect him to find out how he resisted the Flood. It will be a billion-to-one shot that they'll ever replicate his unique medical conditions, but they'll do it anyway. They will kill him because the trade-off is worth it to them. Is it worth it to you, John?_

_Why do you want me to make this choice?_

_One last lesson. I'm trying to teach you something it's taken me all my life to realize. I'm giving you the chance to make the decision that I thought I couldn't make._

The Chief remembered the lesson well. He couldn't sacrifice a good man's life for the sake of self-preservation. He couldn't trade one man's life for a billion-to-one chance at salvation in the future. He had to do what he could to save every person's life. Today. Now.

He shook his head. This was different. This wasn't about one person's life against many people's lives. By handing over this data to ONI, he wouldn't be hurting anyone this time.

_Please Chief…you can't tell them. My people need this._

Or maybe he was. From what Tali told him, it sounded like the Quarians were an endangered species. They were a race of nomads doomed to wander the stars, their fleets horribly outdated and held together only by the Quarians' ingenuity and resourcefulness. They were so desperate for resources, that a search for resources was every young Quarian's rite of passage. Tali mentioned that, because of who her father was, a lot was expected of her by the migrant fleet. She wanted to bring back something that could change the Quarians' lives for the better. Schematics to a Forerunner-built slipspace engine would certainly fit that bill.

Still, while he understood why Tali would want the data for the good of her species, Chief had his own species to serve and protect. As a Spartan, he had to think about his own people's interests first and foremost.

_Unfortunately, the rest of the galaxy sees Humanity as something of a bully. You run over anyone in your path to get what you want._

_Saren's dangerous. And he hates Humans. He thinks Humans are growing too fast, taking over the galaxy. A lot of aliens think that._

He paused at those thoughts, those memories. According to Liara and Anderson, that was how the rest of the galaxy saw Humanity. That was how _Saren _saw Humanity. As a race of selfish bullies and conquerors willing to trample over anyone in their way to attain their goals. That was most likely how Saren justified his hatred to himself, how he was able to sleep at night with the knowledge that he's killed hundreds of innocent Human lives; by reminding himself that the Humans deserved it. That they were a threat to the galaxy that needed to be kept in check.

And by withholding this data from Tali, Chief realized that he'd be proving him right.

He glanced up at the ceiling. "This another one of your tests, Doctor?" he asked. This seemed like the kind of test she'd give him. She once made him choose between one good man and the so-called greater good. It made sense that she would make him choose between his loyalty to his species and his desire to help people. He couldn't sacrifice one good man for the good of the entire Human race. But could he sacrifice the well-being of a whole other species for the good of the entire Human race? Sacrifice the well-being of a friend? What would Dr. Halsey have wanted him to do?

….Well, that didn't take long to decide.

"Er, Chief?" said Lawrence's voice as the Spartan's omni-tool activated. He rose it up to inspect it. "Brigadier's getting antsy. He _really _wants that data."

"…Tell him I'll have it for him in five minutes." Chief replied. He turned off his omni-tool, inserted the OSD into his PC, and went to work.

….

It was still raining as the Chief stood on the dock looking over the _Normandy. _In the distance, he could see patches of blue amongst the clouds as the sun tried to break through. The Chief took in a deep breath as he surveyed the ship, _his _ship, as he held his helmet under his arm.

He was wearing the new MJOLNIR armor that was provided to him by his mysterious benefactor. In many ways, it was similar to his previous set of armor, but there were numerous subtle details that gave it a different feel. First, the chest piece had a boxier frame that added more bulk to the Chief's silhouette, as well as made the armor slightly heavier on the whole. On the right side of the chest piece was the number 117, the same number being printed on the left side of the chest piece, but in brail. The shoulder pads were shaped differently, more triangular in shape than the ones on his old MJOLNIR MK VI armor. His gloves were also more armored, even on the fingers, except for the trigger finger and thumb. He liked that detail in particular. Better hand protection without sacrificing tactile sense while shooting and loading weaponry. Finally, his visor was a fairly straight-forward upgrade over the one in his last armor as it was more sensitive to light and was quicker to adjust to rapidly shifting light conditions. Finally, it had the same color scheme as the armor he had previously been wearing; dark grey with a red stripe on top of his helmet and another red stripe that ran down his right arm, the SPARTAN-II insignia printed on his right shoulder in bold white.

Over all, the armor generally had a heavier, bulkier feel to it. It reminded the Chief of the Mark IV models, the MJOLNIR armor that Chief used for most of the Human-Covenant War until the Mark V came out in 2551, followed by the Mark VI in 2552. While the Marks V and VI were lighter, more streamlined and provided the Spartan with more maneuverability in close-quarters combat, he would be lying if he said he didn't occasionally miss the extra protection and weight of the Mark IV. Additionally, Cortana told Chief that this new armor came with an optional function to temporarily deactivate the safety limiters of the suit's actuators, allowing a temporary boost of speed and agility. The catch was that this boost would only last a few seconds. Any longer, and the Chief would quickly overheat due to the decreased heat regulation of the armor under such conditions.

After he handed the data crystal to the Brigadier, the Master Chief received a transmission from Admiral Hackett via the _Normandy's _comm room. Still no new leads on the whereabouts of Saren or the Conduit, but in the absence of such leads, Hackett has requested that the Master Chief take on a covert op deep in the Attican Traverse. Due to the politically sensitive nature of the op, the SPARTAN-II Spectre was the only person Hackett felt that he could trust with it. Chief, refreshed from shore leave and ready to resume his duty, agreed. He donned his new armor and called back the _Normandy_'s crew not long afterwards.

Chief eyed Epsilon Eridani as it started to drop in the sky. He grunted in annoyance as he looked back down on the _Normandy_ noting that, so far, less than half of the ship's crew had arrived. They wouldn't be able to leave until nightfall at this rate. It was then that he heard someone coming down the dock. He turned and saw Tali walking towards him. Good. This was something that he needed to do.

"Chief?" Tali asked as she slowed her walk to a stop. "Is that you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Chief asked.

"You're not wearing your helmet." Tali pointed out. Chief looked down on his helmet noting that, sure enough, the Quarian was indeed correct. She leaned in for a closer look. "Is….is that a new suit?"

"Yeah." Chief answered.

"Where'd you get it?" Tali asked.

"Gift from a fan, I guess." Chief replied with a shrug. Tali stared at him. He could tell from the way her eyes shone through her visor that she was giving the Spartan an odd look. "I'll explain later. In the meantime, there's something you and I need to discuss."

"What is it?" Tali asked as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Chief took a deep breath. "Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart from ONI came today. He was here to pick up the slipspace data we found on Eletania."

"The slipspace data _I _found." Tali venomously corrected. "I take it that you gave it to him."

"I did." Chief replied honestly. "But not before making a copy of it."

Tali said nothing, though her arms seemingly dropped to her sides from their previous positions across her chest. Chief walked up to the Quarian and reached into his belt. He fished out an OSD and held it out to her. After a moment's hesitation, Tali slowly took the OSD from the massive Human's hand. She then slipped it into her omni-tool to review its contents. Her eyes widened as schematic after schematic flew by on her screen.

"It's….it's all here." she said in a hushed voice. "Everything's here. Why would you give this to me?"

"I realized I was wrong." Chief replied as he held his helmet in both hands. He then put it on. "Figured this would be the best way to make amends."

Tali shook her head slowly, as if lost for words. Finally, after a few seconds of stunned silence, she looked up to meet the Spartan's gaze. "My people…..I…owe you a great-"

Chief cut her off by raising his hand. "I'm just trying to make things right with a friend." He then held out his hand. Tali hesitated, not sure of what to do. Apparently, she was unfamiliar with the Human gesture of handshakes. She then held out her own hand. Chief took her hand and shook it. "You're a good soldier, and I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Take care of yourself out there, Tali."

"Out there?" Tali asked. "You mean this is goodbye?"

"Aren't you leaving?" Chief asked as he released Tali's hand.

"No. Why would I?" the Quarian asked.

"Well, I _did _just give you your ticket back home." Chief pointed out. "You needed that data for your pilgrimage, right? Well you've got it now, so there's no more reason for you to stay with the _Normandy. _Not to mention my campaign has been very dangerous so far, and it's only going to get worse."

"We've been over this, Chief." Tali replied. "If we don't stop Saren and the Geth, I might not have a home to go back to. I'm going to keep helping you however I can."

"What about Cortana?" the Spartan asked.

Tali paused. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't like the idea of working with it." she confessed. "But it hasn't tried to kill us yet. So if I have to, I'll cooperate."

"Thanks Tali." Chief replied as he put a hand on her shoulder. "It means a lot to know you're staying."

"As the old Quarian saying goes, 'Always stand by your captain.'" Tali replied. "'Even if he's a bosh'tet.'"

…..

Thankfully, it didn't take long for the rest of the _Normandy's _crew to return to New Alexandria starport. Many of them had adventures while Chief was supplying information to Emily Wong. Ashley and Kaidan had spent the day at the Errera Casino. Ashley evidently won big at the poker table as well as toyed around with the roulette wheels a bit. Kaidan, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. He lost five hundred credits on a varren race. N'tho arrived with Liara, the latter saying that the former was taking her on a tour of the city. Apparently, this wasn't N'tho's first visit to New Alexandria, so he knew the city well. Garrus had a big lunch at World Cuisine, saying that it would probably be the last time he'd be eating food that 'didn't taste like shatha crap' for a while. Meanwhile, Wrex arrived with a dead moa, claiming that it would be tonight's dinner, which excited the crew.

As Joker put it; "We're having _moa_! And not that vat-grown stuff, I mean an actual, honest-to-God dead bird! Next time you see Wrex, tell him that he is now my personal lord and savior. Now if only we had some horseradish…"

Dr. Chakwas arrived from the beaches with seashells as souvenirs. The Chief learned something new about Navigator Pressly; New Alexandria is in fact his home. The family he was visiting was none other than his wife and children. After securing all the necessary engineering supplies for the _Normandy, _Chief Engineer Adams apparently spent the day fly-fishing. Negulesco and Grenado came back both with big smiles on their faces. Negulesco said that she finally found a Varky Varren's Pizza Palace and said it was 'awesome.' Grenado meanwhile, wouldn't say what she had been up to, but only said that she was 'immensely satisfied.' All in all, it was a good shore leave for everyone. Refreshed and rejuvenated, the _Normandy _crew was ready for their next objective.

But before they could disembark, there was something that the Master Chief needed to do.

The entire crew was assembled on the loading bay in front of the open door to the _Normandy's_ cargo hold. The Master Chief had called them all there for a special meeting prior to departure. There was a lot of hushed talking going on about what it might be about. Hushed talking that quickly ceased as soon as the Master Chief showed up. He strode down the dock towards the _Normandy_, observing the crowd of crewmen as they all quickly formed ranks. There were a few exceptions, one of which being Joker, who couldn't stand for very long due to his Vrolik's Syndrome. Instead, he sat on a nearby footstool. The Spartan stood before the crew as they awaited his words.

"Just did a quick headcount. Everyone's here, Chief." Cortana reported via private radio channel. "Start whenever you're ready."

The Chief took a deep breath. "Good evening, everyone." he started. "During our last assignment on Eletania, it was revealed to the _Normandy _crew that when I was preserved for over a hundred years in the floating wreckage of the _Forward Unto Dawn_, I was not alone. Cortana is, in fact, still functional. Has been since Eden Prime, as I have been harboring her in secret since I was first assigned to this ship."

He paused to gauge the crew's reaction. No visible reactions as of yet, though that may be because he was simply confirming what everyone already knew. "Some of you are most likely upset about my keeping her a secret from all of you. I thought I had good reason to keep her secret. We all know what the Council's policy on AI's is. If the Council were to ever find out about Cortana's existence, she would be exiled from Citadel Space, if she were lucky. In the worst case scenario, she would be eliminated outright. Either way, I would likely be blacklisted from the Spectres, just as Saren Arterius was, and that would have had negative impacts on me personally, our mission, and the Human Alliance's long-term goals. Which is why I felt that telling people about her, people who I am supposed to trust, was simply too great a risk to take."

He paused again. "I was wrong." he admitted. "It's been a long time since I was in proper command of a unit. I had forgotten one of the key aspects of leadership; trust. Specifically, I had forgotten that trust works both ways. Just as soldiers trust their commander to guide them, so too much a commander trust his soldiers to follow him. On the Eletania mission, I allowed critical intelligence to fall into enemy hands, because I insisted on carrying the intel myself. I insisted on carrying the intel myself because I didn't trust anyone else with it. As a result, my unit was forced to destroy that intel in order to keep it out of enemy hands. Additionally, the target escaped capture. By refusing to trust my own soldiers, I had failed in my….._our_ primary objective."

He took another deep breath. "The whole incident has made me question if I am truly well-suited for my current station. For a brief time, I considered resigning from the Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." The Chief paused as he noticed a lot of eyes widened on the crew's faces. Not surprising. He read in the codex that it was extremely rare for a Spectre to resign from his post of his own volition.

"However, after careful introspection, I have decided to remain in my post. The Alliance put me in this position for a reason. Just as they trust me to get the job done, I must trust that they made the right decision." he stated. That seemed to cause some relief among the crew. "However, it would be unethical for me to order you all to remain with me in light of my recent failures. We have yet to disembark from Reach, a well-established colony world from which any of you can go wherever you want or wherever you are needed. If anyone here wants to leave or request a transfer, now is the ideal time to speak up. I, for one, will not hold it against you if you choose to opt out of this campaign."

There was a hushed confusion as the crew members darted their eyes towards one another, uncertain of how to respond. It was then that Joker raised his hands. The Chief nodded at him, giving him permission to speak. "If I asked for a transfer every time my CO acted like an ass, I'd have piloted forty-eight different ships by now." he said aloud. "Trust me, you are not as bad as you think you are."

"You made a mistake, Master Chief." Dr. Chakwas pointed out. "Doesn't make you a bad leader. It just makes you Human."

"Setbacks happen in every military operation, sir." Ashley spoke up. "When it happens, you don't sulk about it. You just learn from your failures and give it another shot."

"Seconded." Garrus agreed. "We've still got a rogue Spectre on the loose. Thick or thin, we're gonna stick by you until we bring him to justice."

"Don't forget the Conduit." Kaidan pointed out. "We've got to find that too before someone shadier than us does."

"I'm only here to get into some good fights." Wrex said with a shrug. "You haven't disappointed me so far, so I don't see any reason to leave."

"Nice try, Chief!" N'tho hollered. "But you can't get rid of a squidhead thateasy!"

"I promised to stay by you, Chief. I meant it." Tali said.

"I too have no intention of leaving." Liara added. "I know you'll see us through this, Chief. I intend to stay until it's done."

One by one, the crewmen spoke up. Pressly, Adams, Negulesco, Grenado, Lawrence, each and every one of them voiced their intention to stay on board. The Chief smiled under his helmet. It wasn't too late. His crew….

His _family. _They weren't going to give up on him over a mistake.

"Alright." Chief said as he held up his omni-tool. "Cortana."

Cortana's avatar materialized over the Chief's omni-tool. "Hello everyone. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I'm UNSC Artificial Intelligence serial number CTN 0452-9, but everyone just calls me Cortana. I'll be your mission AI for the duration of the campaign. Now that that courtesy has been dealt with, here's our next assignment."

Cortana's avatar was suddenly replaced with a galaxy map. "Huddle in a little closer. This omni-tool's hologram range isn't that great." the AI said. The crew then walked a little closer towards the Chief to get a better look at the galaxy map hovering over the omni-tool. "Okie dokie then! Now then before anyone asks, no, there's no new intel on the whereabouts of Saren or the Conduit, so we're still at square one on that front. So Alliance Command has given us this nice little odd job to keep our hands busy in the meantime. Now quick history lesson; during the First Contact War, the Alliance launched a lot of espionage probes into what they suspected was Turian space in order to get more information on a possible enemy. Many of them got lost somewhere along the way. Alliance Command just received a 'mission complete' burst transmission from one of these lost probes about twelve hours ago."

"Hell of a delay." Ashley noted.

"That's not even the half of it. Here's the real kicker. As you all know, the Turian homeworld is here." A green dot appeared in the galaxy map, highlighting Palaven, the Turian homeworld. "Meanwhile, the probe in question is way over here." Another green dot appeared on the far side of the Attican Traverse, on what is essentially the opposite side of the galaxy from Palaven.

"That's the opposite side of the Alliance from Turian space." Kaidan pointed out. "How did the probe get there?"

"No clue." Cortana replied. "Either A: The probe got _really _lost. Or B: Someone recovered it safely and brought it there. The second possibility has the most disturbing implications, those implications being that whoever has the probe now is probably very mean and will want to do very mean things with the probe."

"Pardon me, but what kind of 'very mean things' would such people be able to do with a mere probe?" Liara asked.

"Don't know, but whatever those very mean things are, they probably involve the 20-kiloton tactical fusion warhead attached to the probe." Cortana cattily replied. "That's the part the Alliance is really worried about. When they sent out the espionage probes, they attached demo nukes to them and programmed them to detonate in the event of discovery or tampering. Now, aside from the obvious implication that an innocent bystander's day could get ruined by a nuclear explosion, there's also the political consequences to consider. If the Council find out that the Alliance randomly sent out nukes into Turian space and one of those nukes wound up blowing up a hapless colony out in the traverse, it would most certainly make the Alliance look bad."

"Uh, should we be talking about this with a Turian present?" Pressly asked, nodding to Garrus.

"Garrus is an ex-cop with authority issues, XO Pressly." Cortana reminded. "I highly doubt he has Primarch Fedorian on speed dial. Now then, our mission is to head over there, defuse the bomb, and possibly shoot at some very mean people." With that, the galaxy map was replaced by Cortana's avatar. "Any further questions?" she asked.

"Yeah. We're not a bomb squad." Wrex said. "So how are we supposed to defuse a nuke?"

"We improvise." Cortana answered. "Don't forget, I'm a brilliantly-crafted AI. Not to mention we have a Quarian engineer on our team. The two of us can probably figure something out." She looked towards Tali. "Isn't that right, Tali?"

Tali just grumbled something as she tried to avert her gaze from the AI's avatar. "What was that?" Cortana asked.

"Nothing." Tali mumbled.

"Oh, this is going to be a _fun _mission." Cortana said with a wide smile. Pressly walked in a little closer.

"Could you bring up the galaxy map again?" Pressly asked.

"Sure." Cortana replied as she replaced her own avatar with the galaxy map.

"Zoom in." Pressly requested. Cortana complied. The navigator shook his head as he looked at the Chief. "Transmission came from the Amazon system, on the far side of the Voyager Cluster. It's gonna take at least a few days to get there all the way from Reach."

"Then we'd better get going." Chief said as he turned off his omni-tool. He turned to the rest of the crew. "Everyone on board and to your stations. I want this boat in the water ASAP."

…

"Cortana, why are we standing in the garage?" Chief asked as he stood with the rest of the combat team on deck three.

"One last thing I wanted to show you before we leave Reach." Cortana cryptically replied. "It's been almost fifteen minutes since we disembarked from the starport, so we should be coming up on Longhorn Valley any minute now."

"Longhorn Valley? You mean we haven't even _started _to leave atmo yet?" Chief demanded, not pleased with this apparently pointless waste of time.

"Just humor me." Cortana replied. "Remember how the valley didn't have any trees? Like it did in your childhood?"

"Yeah." Chief replied.

"Well, still no trees, but if satellite imagery is anything to go on, there's something else there that you might like." Cortana explained. "Oh! We're here! Joker, bring her to a stop and open the cargo bay door."

Chief and company felt the ship slow to a stop as the cargo bay door opened. The eight of them walked as close to the edge of the door as they dared to get a better view of the valley below. The rain had stopped by now, and as the sun began to set it cast a golden glow across Longhorn Valley. Chief could just barely make out a rainbow amongst the mists swirling around above the valley, but that's not what everyone was paying attention to.

In the 26th century, the Longhorn Valley was filled with trees. Unfortunately, after the planet was glassed and subsequently terraformed back to normalcy, the forest in Longhorn Valley didn't take. It was just one of many things that had changed since the Master Chief's time, much to his chagrin. He looked down on the valley, noting that it was still devoid of trees, but there was something else down there.

Flowers. On either side of the Big Horn River were vast fields of flowers. Roses, daisies, violets, a whole rainbow of colors were laid out upon the land far below. A strong wind blew through the valley, sending vast ripples and waves across the ocean of vibrant colors. It was easily one of the most amazing natural displays the Chief had ever witnessed.

"The UNSC tried to plant a forest here, but after the Fall of Reach, the soil here wasn't fertile enough for forests anymore." Cortana explained. "So the terraformers went with the next best thing; huge fields of flowers. The Longhorn Flower Fields all start to bloom at once at around this time of year."

She paused. "It's not the forest you remembered. It's very different from what you've experienced before. But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing."

Chief looked over his shoulder at his team. The biotic, the marine, the agent, the mercenary, the vagrant, the scientist and the squidhead. "I guess not." Chief said. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Cortana replied. "Seal her up, Joker. We're out of here."

"Is she gonna be ordering me around a lot from now on?" Joker asked over the intercom as the cargo bay door closed.

"Most likely." Cortana admitted. The Chief turned around towards his squad.

"So, I guess we should be heading back to our stations now, huh Chief?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah." Chief replied. "One last thing though."

Chief took off his helmet and placed it underneath his arm. "If you want to, you can all just call me John from now on."

…..

**Is there such a trope as an "Undead Fic?" If there isn't, I'd like to write up that page. An undead fic is a fanfiction that, by all logic, should be a dead fic, yet it isn't. This fanfic is a prime example of an undead fic. Long update times, mixed reaction, this fanfic really should have died eight or nine chapters in. But like most types of zombie, it continues on, purely out of stubbornness.**

**Some would say that my refusal to give up writing this fanfic is admirable, that it shows how determined I am. But maybe I'm not determined. Maybe I'm just too dumb to know when to quit. Though if that's the case, I've come close to wising up a couple of times. If I wanted to end the fanfic, this would be a good chapter to end it on; with the Master Chief having finally gotten over most of his psychological hangups and ready for the next challenge. Yes, there's still Saren to deal with, along with many other villains working quietly in the dark. But would you really need **_**me **_**to tell you that the Chief will ultimately defeat them?**

**I've seen the discussions on the fanfic's TVtropes page. About how I won't even BEGIN to cover the ME2 adventure until 2014. ZING indeed, Sorrowman9000. Though that comment was made over a year ago. In retrospect, it may have given me too much credit. At the rate I'm currently writing this thing, if you're reading this as a teenager in 2013, you'll probably have teenagers yourself by the time I make it to the end of Mass Effect 3. And if it's going to take me that long to write this thing, then what's the point in carrying on at all? It's been three years and the Chief hasn't even gotten to Noveria yet. Why don't I kill this thing off? Why am I forestalling what seems to be the inevitable?**

**Because at this point, giving up on this fanfic would almost feel like giving up on myself at. A few months ago I realized that the Master Chief's plight is not all that dissimilar from my own. MC is stuck in a time and position where he isn't sure if he can succeed, if he can win. He feared that things were simply too different for him to adapt properly. Meanwhile, I've graduated from college and now I find myself in this lonely, depressing period where I'm just sitting in front of my laptop wondering what my future will be. Wondering if I even **_**have **_**a future. Things are different for me. Both different from any other period in my life and different from what I thought my life would be after college. Like many others my age, I had made the mistake of delaying my real life in favor of school work and video games for so long that, now that I stand on the cusp of adulthood, I'm not sure if I'd be able to adapt properly.**

**If it ever seemed like the Master Chief was a little too angsty at times, well, now you know why. It seems my subconscious thought it would be funny to slip some of my own doubts and anxieties into the story.**

**Not long after this realization, I had another one. The moral of this chapter is that you can't give in to your own doubts, that you shouldn't fear or shun anything that isn't familiar. When you fail, you just need to dust yourself off and promise yourself to learn from the failure and do better. Don't fear change in your life, embrace it.**

**I realized that maybe I should start practicing what I preach. I'm doing a little bit better these days. I'm trying to get my own life in order, getting it ready for the rest of my life. It's a slow process, but I guess that's how I like to do everything, isn't it? Slowly, but deliberately. Anyway, I guess that's why I refuse to die. If I gave up on this fanfic now, I wouldn't just be letting hundreds of loyal readers down, I'd be letting myself down too.**

**Looking back, it's actually kinda funny. Believe it or not, this fanfic was originally born purely out of spite. I discussed the idea of a Halo / Mass Effect crossover fanfic with a good friend of mine, he said it was a stupid idea for a fanfic that would never work, and then I set out to prove him wrong. Three years, two thousand reviews, fifteen hundred favs and follows, two fan-made spinoffs and one TVtropes page later, I sure showed him huh?**

**WHO'S LAUGHING NOW, CHARLIE?!**

**But while its original reasons for existing may lie in pettiness, ignorance, and me not having better to do, this fanfic truly has taken on a life of its own, to the point where it's become a subtle allegory for my own life.**

**I'll be honest, I don't really know what the future holds for this fanfic. I was thinking of setting a more rigid schedule for myself; I learned in college that setting goals for yourself each and every day is a good way of counter-acting procrastination. Course, I ignored that advice and procrastinated a lot in college ANYWAY, so I've never really put that idea into practice. Still, might be worth a shot, who knows.**

**Expect the next chapter…I have no idea. Just expect it.**

**Chapter name and song lyrics ripped off, I MEAN "reference" malufenix's song of the same name. Go check out her stuff on youtube.**

**Dear malufenix, PLEASE DON'T SUE ME.**


	39. Welcome to Blue Team

**Yet another sickeningly short chapter, considering how much time it's been since the last update. Though part of it may be that I kinda took a week off from writing this after the last chapter. I dunno, I felt like I deserved a mini-break after the end of that story arc. Also doesn't help that I'm still easily distracted by-**

**Ooooh! Wowcrendor posted a new video!**

….

0612 Hours, March 12th, 2683

_SSV Normandy_

Undisclosed Location in the Forerunner Cluster

….

John stood before the door that lead out of his quarters. He was naked. 'Naked' being the Spartan term for a Spartan not wearing his armor. He set his jaw as his finger twitched. "Something wrong?" Cortana asked.

"You know what's wrong." John accused in reply. He knew the AI's teasing tone when he heard it.

"Oh come on, we're not even actually back in the traverse yet, so we're at minimal risk of getting boarded by pirates." Cortana argued. "You can last one day on the ship without your armor."

He glanced at the MJOLNIR armor. It sat in neatly arranged pieces in the corner of the room by the bed. The helmet, boots, chest and back plates were in the middle, the gauntlets and complimenting finger coverings off to the side. The nano composite bodysuit was neatly folded into a small square that sat next to the helmet. "But it's new…." he said.

"I don't care. You can play with it later." Cortana scolded. "Now go play with your new friends while Mommy watches her stories." And with that, her avatar disappeared into the Chief's PC, no doubt to comb the extranet to sate her hunger for new data. John rolled his eyes and continued eyeing the door.

Today would be the first day he would be seen without his armor by most of the crew. He didn't really know why he was doing this. Cortana's nagging certainly had something to do with it, and to be fair she was right in that the risk of pirate attack was minimal in this part of the galaxy. But she made those excuses before, and they didn't convince him then. What made now any different?

_When the fire and the explosions and the death stops, and you instead find yourself in the warm company of these other hearts, lower your guard. Let them bond with you._

Just before they left Reach, Chief explicitly gave his team permission to call him John. He did it because he realized that they had followed him and fought with him enough to have earned that privilege. They were a team. _His _team. Perhaps he wanted to try going out into the ship unarmored for much the same reason. His team and his crew had earned the right to see his face, to see him lower his guard. Taking a deep breath, he keyed the door open and stepped out.

Chief looked around the mess hall as he stepped out of his quarters. The only people there were three crew members sitting at a table eating breakfast. The Spartan walked over to the vending machine and prepared two cups of coffee.

"Master Chief?" he heard someone ask. John turned around and saw the three crewmen at the table looking at him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"….How come you're not wearing your armor?" the crewmen, a man with a shaved head, asked.

"Didn't think I'd need it today." he replied.

"…..Huh." the crewmen simply said before slowly turning back to his two compatriots. They simply shrugged in bewilderment. After that awkward moment, the Spartan grabbed the cups and began making his way up the winding staircase to deck one. When the door opened, the marine standing guard saluted.

"At ease." he said as he walked by. He walked over to the cockpit to find Joker, in the pilot's seat as always. He set one of the cups down by one of the control panels. Joker looked up at John.

"Breakfast in bed?" he asked.

"Peace offering." Chief elaborated as he sat down in the chair on Joker's right, setting his own coffee on the control panel by him. "I'm sorry about offending you last time we talked."

"Meh. I'm over it." Joker said as he downed a sip of the coffee. "Though there _is _something I've been meaning to talk to you about since Feros."

"And that is?" John asked.

"Next time we touch down, let's try not to park the ship in a colony of mutant zombies." Joker said. "Just thinking out loud here."

John rolled his eyes. "Always with the jokes." he noted. "But I guess that's why they call you Joker."

"Hey, it's a lot shorter than saying 'Alliance Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau.' Plus I love to make little children laugh." Joker replied.

That was when the Chief's instincts kicked in again. He suddenly got the feeling that there was more to the nickname than that. "Just out of curiosity, why do they _really _call you Joker?"

Joker paused as he raised an eyebrow. "You really wanna know?" he asked. The Spartan nodded. The pilot then sighed. "I didn't pick the name." he admitted. "One of the instructors in flight school used to bug me about never smiling. She started calling me Joker…."

He paused to flash John a wide grin. "And it stuck." he finished with a scowl.

"You? Never smiling?" John asked. He was surprised. Every time he saw Joker, the pilot was always wearing a cocky smirk on his face. By now, it was hard to imagine him with any other kind of expression.

"Hey, I worked my ass off in flight school, Chief." Joker replied. "The world's not gonna hand you anything if you go around grinning like an idiot. You of all people should know that."

"Me?" John asked.

"Yeah. You never smile either, do you?" Joker accused. He paused. "Course, no one ever sees your face at all cuz you wear that helmet all the time, so maybe you _have _been grinning like an idiot. Hell, you could've been making faces at people you don't like this whole time for all I know. I know it's what I'd do if I was always wearing a helmet with a one-way visor."

He snapped his fingers. "Holy crap, you're not wearing your armor! _That's _what's so different about you this morning! That's been bugging me since you came up here."

John raised an eyebrow. He detected more than a little sarcasm just then. "Anyway, by the end of the year, I was the best pilot in the academy. Even better than the instructors and everybody knew it. They all got their asses kicked by the sickly kid with the creaky little legs."

He put his signature smirk back on. "One guess who was smiling at graduation." he finished.

John smiled and nodded. He could relate. When his Spartan training was finally complete, he was proud. Both of himself and of his teammates. Looking back, though he had no specific memory of doing so, he probably smiled just like Joker did.

"So, what's on your schedule today?" Joker asked. "I doubt you plan on staying up here all day cuz, let me tell you right now, the view's not that great."

Chief looked out through the small window above him. As Joker said, there was nothing beyond it except the inky blackness of space, dotted by the occasional far off star. "I'm just waiting until oh-seven-four-five hours." he replied.

"What's going on at quarter to eight?" Joker asked.

"Special meeting with the combat team I've scheduled to take place in the comm room." Chief said.

"Special meeting?" Joker asked. "What have you got planned? A team-bonding seminar with trust fall exercises?"

"Something like that." John cryptically answered.

…..

By the time the clock struck 0745 hours, the Chief's combat team had all begun their shifts. Therefore, it was the ideal time for the meeting. John didn't want this hanging over his head all day, so he wanted to have the meeting as soon as possible.

After using the ship's intercom to summon the combat team to the comm / briefing room, he waited there for them. Kaidan, Liara and N'tho were the first ones to arrive as they took their respective seats. Garrus, Wrex, Tali and Ashley arrived soon after to take their own seats.

"Alright people. I've got an announcement to make." John began. "Last night, I reviewed all past mission reports as part of an evaluation of our mission performance thus far. On retrospective analysis, I've concluded that I need to make a few changes. First off, N'tho."

The Sangheili sat up a little straighter in his chair. "I originally gave you the role of close-quarters combat specialist, basically putting you in charge of heavy weapons and diversion tactics. However, that role will no longer be suitable for you for two reasons. One, you lost our only plasma minigun on Eletania."

"For the record, that was _not _my fault." N'tho defended himself. "Some Asari Commando hit my gun with a biotic warp."

"Two, after reviewing your mission performance, I've realized that your initial role was not one that took full advantage of your talents." John went on. "From what I've seen and from what Cortana has analyzed, you seem to be more of a runner than a gunner."

"Well, I _am _kinda fast." N'tho said as he stretched out his legs, twirling his hooves at the ankle. "I guess."

"Combine that with the fact that your hardsuit is the only one with active camouflage built in, and you would actually make an effective scout and runner." John continued. "Basically, you're the new team rabbit."

"Cool." N'tho said with a nod.

"The hell's a rabbit?" Wrex asked.

"Oh, it's a small fast mammal native to Earth." N'tho replied.

"Predator?" Wrex probed further.

"Nope. Usually prey. More often than not, rabbits are running _away _from something." N'tho explained. Wrex paused. Then gave him a wide grin. "….What? Stop looking at me like that. It's creeping me out."

"Next order of business." John said as he whipped out a datapad. "A package arrived from ONI a couple of days ago, one filled with several different kinds of heavy weapons."

"Scuttlebutt says that package _didn't_ come from ONI." Ashley pointed out. "Sir." she added.

"Scuttlebutt says a lot of things, Ash." John dismissed.

"I'm sorry, but I thought we had moved past the 'keep secrets from the crew' phase." Garrus commented.

John looked up from his datapad and glared at the Turian. "…..Alright. The package didn't come from ONI at all. I don't know who it came from. All I know is that whoever sent it has enough access to technology and resources to build a custom set of upgraded MJOLNIR armor and smuggled it past Alliance customs. Does that make you feel better?"

"….Not really." Garrus admitted. "I'm actually kind of worried now."

"And that's why I didn't want to tell you about it." John said.

"Is it bugged?" Kaidan asked.

"Or rigged to blow?" Wrex asked.

"No and no, at least as far as we can tell." John said. "Cortana scanned the contents of the crate beforehand and nothing of note happened as we moved the items from the crate to the armory lockers."

"I still don't like it." Wrex said with a shake of his head. "No one gives you free guns without a catch."

"For the record Wrex, I agree with you. The circumstances surrounding the delivery are definitely suspicious." John said. "However, since heavy weapons are hard to come by, I've decided to not look at this gift horse in the mouth. For now, we can only assume that the 'catch' is that we'll be expected to use the weapons against Saren and that whoever sent them stands to gain from Saren's defeat."

"Sounds legit." N'tho said with a nod.

"Moving on. The first weapon is an asymmetric recoilless carbine-930." John began.

"Dibs on the railgun." Wrex claimed.

"I was going to issue it to you anyway, Wrex." John said. "With the destruction of your custom sniper rifle on Reach, you need a new long range weapon, and the ARC-930 should be an ideal replacement for you."

"…..I still call dibs." Wrex said. He looked around the comm room. "That means if anyone besides me touches it, I'm taking somebody's hand."

"Moving on." John resumed. "Ashley, you get the squad automatic weapon."

"The SAW?" Ashley asked.

"Yup. It's all yours." John replied.

"….._Thank you_." Ashley whispered.

"Next off we have an M374 remote projectile detonator. Kaidan, I'll give it to you." John said.

"You sure?" Kaidan asked.

"You're a disciplined and methodical soldier, Kaidan. I can trust you with an explosive launcher." John assured. "Finally, we have a type-52 guided munitions launcher. Garrus. I think this one's yours."

"I don't know." the Turian replied as he scratched a plate. "Heavy weapons like that aren't really my forte'."

"It's long-distance weaponry, which _does _seem to be your forte'." John pointed out. "You can use it on more heavily armored targets and you can use your sniper rifle on anything else."

Garrus paused in thought, then nodded. "Fair enough." he conceded.

"Uh, do I get a really cool new weapon?" N'tho asked as he raised his hand.

"No." John said. "You're our new scout, remember? Your new job requires you to travel light on the field. And there's a reason they call it heavy weaponry. Additionally, five weapon types were all the package had, so I couldn't really issue you another weapon even if I wanted to."

N'tho paused and raised an eyebrow. "Five weapon types?" he asked. "You only mentioned four. What's the fifth one?"

"An M6 Grindell / Galilean Nonlinear Rifle." John answered.

"….."

"No, N'tho. You can't have it."

"I wasn't even gonna ask!" N'tho protested.

"But you were thinking of asking." John stated. "In any case, I'll be keeping it in the armory on deck three. Due to the weapon's potential for large-scale destruction, it will only be used when circumstances make its use necessary."

"In that case, won't be too long until we whip it out." Wrex commented. "Not a week goes by where we don't bump into somebody that wants to kill us."

"One last matter before I conclude this meeting." the Chief said. "This team needs an official designation."

"Designation?" Kaidan asked. "What, you mean a team name?"

"Well as you all made clear yesterday, none of you plan on leaving anytime soon." Chief explained. "We're already a combat team in everything but name, so I might as well give you all a name. It may also improve unit cohesion, having an actual name to rally around."

"Okay, so what will be our new team name?" Ashley asked.

"Blue Team." John replied. Ashley, Kaidan and N'tho were stunned silent for a moment.

"I don't get it." Wrex asked. "You're naming us after a color? And not even a good one?"

"Blue Team was the name of Chief's old team of Spartans." Ashley explained. She turned to the Chief. "Is the Alliance really giving us that name?"

"No. _I'm _giving you that name." Chief said. "I'm technically violating Alliance protocol by choosing a name myself rather than waiting on the Alliance to give this team its official designation, but as a Spectre I can get away with that sort of thing."

"So you are naming us after your old comrades." Liara observed. "Why?"

"….Because you've all earned it." Chief replied.

"I dunno." Kaidan confessed. "Spartan-087, 058, 104, 034….You're giving us some real big shoes to fill, Chief. You sure we can fill them?"

"You've filled them well enough so far." Chief said. "Therum, Sharjila, Trebin, Feros, Eletania, time and time again you've all proved your metal in battle. Time and time again you all helped me. I can't say for certain where I'd be right now without all of you."

"You'd have still won all those battles, FYI." N'tho said. "Just, you know, not as quickly. Strength in numbers, and all that."

"Exactly." John nodded. "You all helped me do things that I could have never done on my own. Trust me, you've all earned this. Now then."

He pointed to himself. "Blue-One."

He pointed to Kaidan. "Blue-Two."

He pointed to Ashley. "Blue-Three."

Garrus. "Blue-Four."

Wrex. "Blue-Five."

Tali. "Blue-Six."

Liara. "Blue-Seven."

N'tho. "Blue-Eight. Questions?"

Liara raised a hand. "Do I have to be Blue-Seven?" she shyly asked.

"What's the problem?" Chief asked.

"Well…..I know I shouldn't believe this. After all, as a scientist, I should be above such superstitions but…..Seven is considered a very unlucky number among my people." Liara explained.

"Funny." Kaidan said. "Seven is actually considered a very lucky number among Humans. Maybe the fact that you're on a Human ship with a Human crew will mean that Human luck rules will apply?"

"Perhaps." Liara replied, still sounding unsure.

"While we're on the subject of lucky numbers, can I be Blue-Four?" Wrex asked. "Four's lucky on Tuchanka."

"Well, four's _un_lucky on Palaven, so if Wrex wants my number, he can have it." Garrus replied.

"Enough." Chief firmly stated. "Your numbers are your numbers and that's final. Anything else?"

An awkward silence hung in the air. Tali raised her hand. "Just letting you know that six is lucky on the flotilla, so I'm perfectly fine with my number."

John pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know, the _old _Blue Team wouldn't be arguing over something like this."

"Well, we're the _new _Blue Team." Garrus commented. "We're the next generation."

"Then I weep for the next generation." John remarked. "I'll file your new official team name and number designations. Meeting adjourned, Blue Team dismissed."

….

After the meeting was over, John headed back down to his quarters to file the new team name and individual designations. Once he was done with that, he took his morning shower and then ate a proper breakfast in his quarters.

When he came back to the mess hall to hand in his empty tray, he spied N'tho sitting alone at the mess's lone dining table. He was alternating between munching on a breakfast burrito of some kind and tapping away on his omni-tool. John took a deep breath as he placed his tray by the serving area. He knew what he had to do. He walked over to the table and sat across from N'tho, squinting as his eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the bright amber light over the table.

"Huh?" N'tho looked up from his omni-tool and saw the Chief in front of him. "Oh. Hey Chief. You havin' breakfast?"

"Already had breakfast." John replied. "I feel like I owe you an apology."

"For what?" N'tho asked.

"For what I said on Eletania." John said. "I was stressed, you were working my-"

"Last nerve and I wound up being the unlucky verbal punching bag of thirty years worth of wartime xenophobia." N'tho finished the Spartan's statement for him.

"…Yeah." John replied. "Sorry."

N'tho waved it off with his omni-tool hand. "Don't worry about it." N'tho replied. "I was pissed at first, but then Liara and Ashley told me about how stressed you've been." John opened his mouth. "They didn't say _too _much, I didn't wanna pry into your personal life behind your back." N'tho assured. "They just told me that you did a lot of soul-searching on Reach. I realized how difficult it must be for you to live in the 27th Century. Especially with me on your team. Mostly because I just crack wise whereas my great uncle probably called you demon and tried to shiv you with an energy sword at some point or other. Bit of a jarring shift in tone, I imagine."

"Little bit, yeah." John admitted. He paused as N'tho finished his burrito. "So, we're cool?"

"We're cool." N'tho replied after swallowing and then going back to his omni-tool.

"Huh. Thought you'd be more resentful than that." Chief confessed.

"I'm not really the grudge-holding type." N'tho replied with a shrug.

The two sat in awkward silence for a little while after that. With his burrito finished, N'tho went back to focusing intently on whatever it was he was doing on his omni-tool. "So, what are you doing there?" John asked.

"Just working on a rhetorical analysis of the writings of Matriarch Dilinaga." N'tho replied.

"Who?" John asked. N'tho looked up from his work at the Spartan at that.

"Matriarch Dilinaga?" N'tho asked. "One of the twenty-two Missing Matriarchs? The only one whose body was ever found?"

"Never heard of her." John honestly replied.

"Yeesh, have you been living under a rock?" N'tho asked.

"No, but I was frozen for over a century." John pointed out.

"….Oh." N'tho replied. "Right. Still a bunch of stuff you probably don't know. Kinda forgot that." He scratched the back of his neck for a moment. "Well, her story is kind of a long one."

"I don't really have anything better to do today." John replied with a shrug.

"Okay then." N'tho said. "It all started when the Asari first began colonizing other worlds. It was a golden age of learning and advancement, not only technologically but culturally as well. It was at this period that a lot of Asari matriarchs started to become obsessed with achieving 'ultimate knowledge.'"

"Ultimate knowledge?" John asked.

"Oh you know. The usual stuff they were looking for." N'tho explained. "'Why are we here?' 'What is our purpose?' 'What's the meaning of life?' Etcetera and so on. Every race asked itself those questions at one point or another, but the Asari have the distinction of being one of the few races to actually try to seek out those answers outside of a philosophy discussion. Twenty-eight matriarchs left Thessia with no destination in mind and no plan to return. Only six were ever heard from again. The rest of them, for all intents and purposes, disappeared from the face of the galaxy."

"Well, that's what happens when you go exploring uncharted territory without a real plan." Chief mused. "Dilinaga was the only one they found?"

"Right." N'tho replied with a nod. "Of the twenty-two matriarchs, or the Missing Matriarchs as they are commonly known, Dilinaga was the only one whose body was actually found, along with several journal entries that she wrote during her journey."

"What did she write about?" Chief asked.

"The journey itself, mostly. The places she went to and the creatures she met." N'tho replied with a shrug. "Historians, anthropologists, philosophers, theologians, everyone was reading her journals when they were brought back to the Asari homeworld Thessia. There were all kinds of discussions surrounding the significance of the journals."

"Significance?" Chief asked. "They were travel journals. Dilinaga traveled across the galaxy and recorded what she saw. What's there to discuss?"

"To the Asari? _Everything_." N'tho replied with a smirk. "There are at least half a dozen theories floating around about the meaning behind the journals. Some say that it highlights all the wonders of the galaxy, and by proxy, the universe. Others see it as a confirmation of Siarism, the mainstream Asari religion next to Athamism. See, Asari are generally artsy types that like talking philosophy for hours on end. They have a weird habit of seeing meaning where other species don't."

With that, he went back to typing on his omni-tool. "Anyway, I'm writing my own rhetorical analysis of Dilinaga's writings. Figured I could give it a shot."

"You seem to know a lot about Asari culture." John noted. "Thought Human culture was more your expertise."

"It is." N'tho replied. "Don't get me wrong, I love Human culture as much as the next Squidhead. But I know there's more to the galaxy than just Earth. Becoming a part of the Squidhead movement way back when made me realize that there was a whole galaxy of life beyond the skies of 'Sraom. Dozens of species and hundreds of worlds, all with their own unique cultures, attitudes and philosophies. It's why I minored in xeno-cultural studies back in college."

"So you're fascinated by all non-Sangheili cultures?" John asked. "Not just Humans?"

"That's right." N'tho said with a nod. "Though granted, some cultures fascinate me more than others. For instance, I would _not _recommend reading a Volus-written novel unless you're suffering from insomnia. Hard to stay awake through all that math. And before you ask, yes, algebraic equations are surprisingly common in Volus literature. Guess that's what happens when accounting is your race's biggest strength."

"Hey." said a voice. N'tho and the Chief looked up to see Kaidan holding a tray full of food. He turned to the Sangheili. "This seat taken?"

"Sure thing." N'tho said as he scooched over. Kaidan nodded his thanks and sat down. On his tray was a breakfast burrito, scrambled eggs, bacon, a bowl of cereal, a cup of milk and a cup of orange juice.

"Lot of food you have there, Lieutenant." Chief observed.

Kaidan shrugged. "One of the downsides of being a biotic: high metabolism. Throwing things around with dark energy takes a lot of calories, so I have to eat more than the average Human to be at my best."

With that, he grabbed a strip of bacon and started eating it. "I can vouch that." N'tho added as he nodded to the lieutenant. "This is actually his _second _breakfast. Dude eats like a hobbit."

"A what?" John asked.

"Hobbit." N'tho replied. "You know? Bilbo Baggins? J.R.R. Tolkien?" John just gave him a blank look. "You've _never _read _The Hobbit_?"

"No." John said.

N'tho paused. He then began tapping furiously on his omni-tool. "What are you doing?" the Chief asked.

"Buying you a digital copy of _The Hobbit _and downloading it to an OSD for you." N'tho answered. "You can thank me later."

John rolled his eyes. "In N'tho's defense, it _is _a good book." Kaidan noted. "So, what were you guys talking about before I came along?" he asked before beginning to eat another bacon strip.

"I suppose we were talking about N'tho's interests." John replied as he placed his hand back down. "Apparently, he's not just fascinated by Human culture."

"That a fact?" Kaidan asked after a gulp.

"Yeah." N'tho replied as he continued tapping away on his omni-tool. "Like I told the Chief, I minored in xeno-cultural studies in college. That's where I first learned about the Squidhead movement and fell in love with it. My first thesis was about the impact that Human music had on Sangheili society, specifically rock and roll. Youthful Sangheili loved it, but the elder generations-"

"Let me guess." Kaidan interrupted. "The elders disapproved of the youth's interest in rock and roll because they accused it of sparking a hedonistic lifestyle fueled by sex and drugs?"

"Eeeyup." N'tho replied.

"Huh. Funny how history repeats itself." Kaidan mused.

"I listened to a lot of rock music from the 20th century as part of my research. Elvis Presley, Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, the Meteors, that was when the genre was truly codified." N'tho went on. "Still got a few of those songs on my omni-tool."

"I figured that back on Eletania." John replied.

"After that, I started researching the cultures of other species. I wrote a couple other thesis's, like how the Great Schism oddly parallels the Turian Unification Wars and the Hunt for the Salarian League of One in a few ways, specifically how the old tends to put up a hell of a fight before being inevitably overtaken by the new." N'tho continued. "I found it fascinating how similar other species could be to the Sangheili."

"Just goes to show, we're not as different as we all think." Kaidan noted.

"Never took you for an intellectual, N'tho." John commented.

"Yeah, well, you didn't take me as the type to read poetry either." the Sangheili said. "I'm full of surprises. It's part of my charm."

"Apparently." John replied. The Spartan paused in thought as N'tho continued tapping on his omni-tool and Kaidan continued eating. "Say N'tho. Mind if I asked you something?"

"Sure." N'tho replied.

"I know that a lot of Sangheili like you have taken an interest in Human culture." John said. "But why?"

"A fascination born from cultural exchange after the Human-Covenant War." N'tho replied. "Didn't you know that already?"

"Yes." John replied. "But there's cultural fascination and then there's cultural obsession. As far as I can tell, there aren't any 'squidhead' groups among any other species. So what made so many of your kind take to Human customs as much as you did?"

"That's a tricky question to answer." N'tho replied as he saved his work and deactivated his omni-tool. "But I did write on the subject, so I do have an idea. In order to understand the Sangheili today, one must first understand the Sangheili during the days of the Old Covenant, which by proxy means you must understand the Old Covenant itself."

"A collection of alien races deadset on wiping out all mankind." John replied. "What else is there to know?"

"Not collection. Caste system." N'tho corrected. "Big difference. One reason why the Covenant lasted as long as it did was that it had a species for every occasion. You had the Unggoy at the bottom of the barrel to be used as cannon fodder, Kig-Yar for recon, Mgalekgolo for heavy weapons, and so on and so forth. Everyone had a clearly defined role. Running the whole thing were the San 'Shyuum, but right below them was us, the Sangheili. We were the dominant military caste of the Covenant. We were the best species for combat, hands down. Every other race save for the San 'Shyuum ultimately answered to us."

"But then the Great Schism happened." N'tho went on. "San 'Shyuum got pissed at us and then we gave them a good ass-beating. You were there so you probably know most of the details, so I need not go on about that. But once the Covenant was shattered and we Sangheili were on our own, we realized something."

N'tho paused for what John could only assume was dramatic effect. "Sangheili were the best at combat. But we _sucked ass _at everything else. See things like agriculture, science, basic infrastructure maintenance? None of that stuff was _our _department. Back in the Old Covenant, we let other species worry about that kinda stuff, so we could focus more on fighting. In retrospect, that was probably how the San 'Shyuum were able to hold power over the Covenant races for so long; by dividing up the duties between all the races to keep them dependent on each other, and more importantly, keep them dependent on the San 'Shyuum to keep the whole thing working."

"Meanwhile, look at you Humans." N'tho said as he gestured to the Chief. "You guys had zero extraterrestrial contact before the Covenant came along, which meant you learned to stand on your own two feet long before we came along. Combat, science, economy, you guys could do it all. So a lot of Sangheili examined Human culture to try and figure out what made you guys tick, how your race is able to function without help from other species. The Unggoy really helped with that by sharing Human transmissions with us."

"The Unggoy?" John asked. "You mean the grunts?"

"Yeah." N'tho said with a nod. "During the Human-Covenant War, one of the duties of the Unggoy was to monitor UNSC communications. They were well-suited for the job because they were able to learn Human languages easier than other Covenant species. They wound up building a black market around Human television programs and music. After the war, curious young Sangheili started paying visits to this black market to learn more about the Humans and their ways. As the decades went by, consumption of Human media became less and less taboo among my race, one thing led to another, and a hundred years later Sangheili Flip music artist Frankenstein Joe is at the top of the charts."

"So the Sangheili can stand on their own now? Like Humans can?" John asked.

"You bet." N'tho replied with a nod. "Combat is still our biggest strength, mind you. We're still warriors when all is said and done. But nowadays we're more than capable of maintaing our own plumbing, instead of just handing the plunger to an Unggoy and telling them to do it."

"Sounds like your species has been through a lot in the last hundred years." John commented.

"That we have." N'tho replied. "Learning how to become more independent and less reliant on other species to do all the dirty work for us was just one of many ways we had to adapt to a Post-Covenant era. In addition to that, we had to ask ourselves what our new purpose in life was."

"Purpose?" Kaidan asked.

"In the Old Covenant, everything the Sangheili did, everything the other Covenant races did, was all meant to help us advance towards one goal and one goal only. The Great Journey. That was our goal. That was our purpose. To ascend to a new plane of reality and join our gods. Then we found out that the Great Journey was just a load of skaven crap. After dulling out the afore-mentioned ass-beatings to the San 'Shyuum, we spent the next few years sitting on Sangheilios twiddling our thumbs asking ourselves 'Now what?' We used to be a race with a clearly-defined purpose, but now that the Covenant was dead and gone, that purpose went kaput. So once again, some of us turned to the Humans for answers. Their civilization was about as advanced as ours, so we asked what kept them going."

"What did we tell you?" John asked.

"Well, you just kinda shrugged and said that the galaxy spins at several hundred-thousand miles per hour and we're all just along for the ride." N'tho replied. "Some Humans say that life has no inherent purpose for any species. Others say that purpose is something you need to create for yourself. At first, those answers didn't really satisfy us as much as we hoped. Even worse, when we _did _start taking that advice to our hearts and began seeking out our own purposes, some of us arrived at different conclusions."

"What do you mean?" John asked.

"The Great Schism? It wasn't just against the San 'Shyuum and the Jiralhanae." N'tho explained. "Once the Covenant itself was torn asunder, we began to turn on each other. On one side, you had the Arbiter's faction of Sangheili who believed in maintaining the truce we developed with Humans at the end of the Human-Covenant War. On the other side, you had a whole bunch of Sangheili who still had a healthy hatred of Humans. They wanted to keep the war going, saying that we should head back to Earth and finish the job."

"One of the worst offenders on the 'kill all the Humans' side of the argument was a guy named Jul 'Mdama." N'tho went on. "He was charismatic enough to rally together a militant force of Sangheili and a few other former-Covenant races to form what the UNSC called the Covenant Remnant. The remnant continued to harass both the Arbiter's faction and the UNSC for several more years. Finally, both got tired of his shit and started to fight back. His primary base of operations was eventually found and we subsequently bombarded the ever-loving wort out of it from orbit."

"And Jul?" John asked.

"He died in the bombing. Supposedly, anyway." N'tho said.

"Supposedly?" John probed.

"They never found his body. Never confirmed the kill." N'tho explained.

"Well it _was _an orbital bombardment." Kaidan pointed out. "I imagine there wouldn't be a body left _to _find. At least not one that was recognizable."

"True." N'tho admitted. "Still, bad guys like Jul never die easy. Twenty creds says that he's still out there somewhere. Laying low. Waiting for the right opportunity to make his comeback."

"You really believe that?" John asked.

N'tho shrugged. "They never found his body. That's all I'm sayin.'"

John paused in thought. He was already hunting one alien war criminal who sought the complete extinction all mankind. The notion that there may be another one hiding in some remote part of the galaxy unnerved him. Particularly since the war criminal in question was a remnant of the Old Covenant, the force that brought Humanity to the brink of extinction.

John shook his head, dismissing the thought. Kaidan was right. Jul 'Mdama most likely died with his base. If he was inside his base at the time, then there was very little, if any chance that he survived the bombardment. N'tho may believe otherwise, but he also believed that Halo was a weapon. Between that and thinking that Jul was still alive, John suspected that the young Sangheili was something of a conspiracy theorist.

However, N'tho was completely right about Halo. It was almost enough to make the Spartan wonder if, perhaps, he was also right about Jul.

"Credit for your thoughts, Chief?" Kaidan asked.

"Just thinking about how a charismatic Sangheili warlord with a hatred of Humans hiding in some obscure corner of the galaxy is a very disconcerting notion to me." John replied. "For obvious reasons."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Kaidan said with a shake of his head. "Even if Jul _is _somehow still alive, he hasn't resurfaced in well over a century. I doubt he's going to do it anytime soon, if at all. Right now, we've got bigger fish to fry."

"Like Saren." John said with a nod.

"On that subject, permission to speak freely sir?" Kaidan asked.

"Granted." John replied.

"Off the record, I think there's something wrong about all this." Kaidan began. "Saren has been looking for records on galactic extinction, but we can't get more back up from the Council?" the biotic shook his head. "There's writing on the wall here, but someone isn't reading it."

"They're politicians." N'tho replied. "What did you expect?"

"It just seems like a group that's been around as long as the Council should see what's coming." Kaidan went on. "By now, it should be obvious to them that Saren's more than just a former Spectre who went nuts and started recruiting an army of Geth. There's more to this than what it seems."

"You're beginning to sound like N'tho, Lieutenant." John pointed out.

"Maybe." Kaidan confessed.

"Hey." N'tho protested.

"In all seriousness Lieutenant, I know you're talking about the Reapers." John said. "Do you believe in them?"

"Like I said, there's writing on the wall." Kaidan replied. "I'm skeptical mind you, but I'm not blind. By now, I've seen enough evidence to suggest that, at the very least, they were real at some point. Whether they're still real remains to be seen though."

"I'm with Kaidan. To quote the Monkees, I'm a believer." N'tho threw in his two cents. "Protheans wouldn't leave behind a beacon designed to give the user visions of galactic apocalypse for nothing."

"What do you think, Chief?" Kaidan asked. "Do you think the Reapers are real?"

John paused to think for a moment. "Well at first, I thought that the Council had it right, in spite of my vision. That Saren just made up the Reapers to convince the Geth to follow him. But the more time goes on, the more I think that you two are right. There's something else going on here. Something more. Something that we're not seeing."

"Your vision is probably the key to solving the mystery." Kaidan said. "I know that Liara's been trying to help you decipher it. Any progress so far?"

"Not really." Chief replied with a sigh. "Every other night, I get the same nightmare. Dying Protheans, metal and circuits implanted into flesh - "

"Wait. Metal and circuits implanted into flesh? Forcefully, possibly?" N'tho asked. John nodded. The Sangheili turned to Kaidan. "Sound familiar?"

"Husks." Kaidan said.

"Makes sense." Chief commented. "Those dragon teeth we found on Trebin were buried in millennia-old rock. If the Geth didn't make them, the Reapers probably did."

"So, that's _one _suspicion confirmed." N'tho said.

"Yeah." John replied. "Too bad that interesting new tidbit isn't bringing us any closer to the Conduit."

"To defeat thy enemy, you must understand thy enemy." N'tho said. "We learned something new about the Reapers. Specifically, they like to take organic beings and turn them into cyborg zombies. It's better than nothing."

"I suppose." Chief said.

"You should keep trying to understand the vision with Liara." Kaidan suggested. "She's helped you out a lot so far from the sound of things. If you're lucky, the Conduit's location could be right there in your vision and Liara could help you find it."

"And you ARE well known for your luck." N'tho reminded. "Heck, if you keep up the mind-melding with Liara, not only could you find the Conduit's location, you might get lucky in a…._different _sense, if you know what I mean." he said with a smile.

"What _do _you mean?" John asked.

"You know." N'tho replied.

"Actually no, I don't. That's why I'm asking." John said.

"Oh come on, everyone's been talking about it." N'tho said. "You and an Asari. Spending extended periods of time alone in what is essentially the med bay's closet."

"She seems nice enough." Kaidan added. "Easy on the eyes. Little bookish for my tastes, though."

John sighed. Not this again. "Liara and I are not romantically involved." he stated.

"You sure?" N'tho asked. "I mean, you've been mind melding with her and everything."

"So she could help me analyze my vision." John defended.

"He's probably telling the truth, N'tho." Kaidan said. "Asari don't always bond for reproductive purposes."

"Hey, I never said anything about reproduction." N'tho pointed out. "Now is decidedly _not _a good time for Liara to get pregnant after all. I'm just saying that, just like the regular kind of sex, bonding can be done strictly for funsies."

"Liara and I are not bonding 'for funsies.'" John sternly said. "How long has this rumor been going around? This is the second time I've heard about it."

"Since you started bonding with her last week." N'tho replied.

"It's mostly talked about in the lower deck." Kaidan said. "If it's to be believed, then she's interested in you as more than a source of Prothean data."

"Well she's not." John resolutely said. "My relationship with Dr. Liara T'soni is strictly professional. We clear?"

"Crystal, sir." Kaidan replied.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." N'tho added. "Ashley might be more your type anyway."

"What?" John asked.

"Oh, there's another rumor floating around up in the CIC that Ashley is the one you have a relationship with." N'tho explained.

"_What?_" John asked.

"Makes sense." N'tho replied. "She's a marine, so you'd have more in common with her than you would with Liara for one thing. And let's not forget that date the two of you went on back on Reach."

"That _wasn't _a date." John said, becoming increasingly annoyed.

"You and a lady go to a sports game followed by dinner? Sounds like a date to me." N'tho countered.

"Whatever happened to 'didn't want to pry into my personal life behind my back?'" John asked.

"I'm not prying into your personal life behind your back." N'tho replied. "I'm doing it right in front of you."

John groaned as he covered his face with his palm. "Ashley and I are _not _romantically involved." he stated. "And yes, I'm sure."

"Hm." N'tho thoughtfully murmured. He looked towards Kaidan, who hadn't spoken for a couple of minutes. He was sipping his milk, turning his head away from the now-awkward conversation. N'tho looked back towards the Chief. "So, you and Kaidan huh?" he asked.

Kaidan was so startled that he spit out his milk. "What?!" the biotic demanded.

"Well, Dr. Chakwas told me you were bisexual." N'tho replied. "Plus, you were technically in Blue Team longer than anyone else, so -."

"_That's _a rumor?" Kaidan demanded.

"Well, not yet." N'tho said. He then smiled mischievously. "But I _did _talk to Lowe up on the bridge about it, so I don't think it'll be long before I get the whole deck talking."

"You're enjoying this." Kaidan accused.

"A little." N'tho confessed.

John's hand was still covering his eyes. He groaned in annoyance.

"Okay look. I'm bi, but I don't see the Master Chief in _that _kind of way." Kaidan defended. N'tho just stared at the biotic with a raised eyebrow. "Well…..Okay, I might have glanced at his rear end from time to time."

John placed his hand down and just stared at the biotic. "I don't have intentions with you, sir." Kaidan quickly added. "Just…..art appreciation."

"…..Anyone else, N'tho?" Chief asked. "Anyone else that scuttlebutt says I might have a thing for?"

"Nope. Just Liara, Ashley and Kaidan sir." N'tho replied with a nod.

The Spartan continued to stare at the Sangheili menacingly. He could hear the telltale sound of N'tho nervously tapping his hoof on the floor, as well as his fingers drumming the table.

"Okay fine!" N'tho finally cracked before the Spartan Stare. "Word down in engineering says you and Tali might have a thing going."

"Oh for - Tali? Seriously?" John asked.

"What? She's nice. You saved her life on the Citadel, she saved your life on Sharjila, yeah she was pissed about the whole Cortana thing but you kissed and made up on Reach, right?" N'tho asked.

"She's a _Quarian_." John pointed out. "If it weren't for that suit of hers, I could kill her with an errant sneeze, let alone intercourse."

"Oh don't worry about the suit." N'tho said. "I've read several articles about Quarian intimacy on the extranet. Believe me. There are ways around the suit."

"….Why would you read _several_ articles about Quarian intimacy?" Kaidan asked. This time, he was the one with a mischievous grin.

"…..Uuuuhhh….." N'tho had no answer that could possibly make him look good in this situation.

"Alright, look." John stated. "Every man, woman and alien on this ship is a professional. We're here because we have a job to do. This is a warship, not a love boat. I don't want to hear any more talk about romantic affairs for the rest of this campaign. Are we clear?"

"Crystal, sir." N'tho replied. Kaidan nodded.

"Good." John said. "Now can we please talk about something else?"

"…..You've _seriously _never read _The Hobbit?_" N'tho asked.

The Master Chief covered his face with his palm again.

….

Jondum Bau took another sip of his saloosh, a Sangheili-brewed beer made from fermented grain. One would suspect that, as a product made by a race of warriors, saloosh would be a very hard liquor that would leave most non-Sangheili races utterly plastered after just a shot or two, similar to the Krogan's ryncol. In reality, the opposite was true. Sangheili liquor is actually quite light, probably because public drunkenness is highly looked down upon in their culture. Saloosh is only _just_ strong enough to help a shipmaster or zealot relax after winning a difficult battle. It seemed that the Sangheili had no idea why other species would deliberately impair their senses and judgement with stronger alcohol.

It definitely didn't do much for Jondum. Not even a half-decent buzz. Thanks to his species' naturally high metabolism, his liver was no doubt making quick work of what little alcohol the saloosh put into his system. Damn shame. Considering who he was about to be working with, the Salarian needed a good buzz to get through the day.

The Spectre was sitting in the diplomat's lounge in Beacon of Discovery's capitol building. Specifically, he was at the bar, sampling the local flavors. For one, calling it a bar was actually rather generous. It also served food, and freshly-brewed cold saloosh was about the strongest drink they served. He checked his watch. It was getting close to noon.

The Arbiter was late. Bad enough that Jondum was soon going to be working on a Sangheili ship. On top of that, the ship in question couldn't even bother to arrive on time.

Though he was smart enough not to say as much in his vid call with him four days ago, it was actually with great hesitance that Jondum decided to call the Arbiter for help. But the Spectre didn't have a choice. With the Master Chief's hands tied, the Arbiter was his best chance at a Halo expert. He had noted combat experience on the ring, and given the Sangheili's penchant for worshipping the Forerunners he was likley to bring along several Forerunner experts in the form of priests. However, he dreaded it because he knew that, as a Salarian, working with Sangheili would be difficult.

Out of the three Council races, the Sangheili Empire experienced the most friction with the Salarian Union. It was mostly due to their vastly different military doctrines. The Sangheili believed in fighting wars with honor. They will deliberately destroy a planet's orbital defenses, even if bypassing them instead is a valid option. They would sooner fight hand-to-hand and die rather than pick up and use a fully functional firearm at their feet, simply because the firearm was once used by an enemy. The worst offenders are the high-ranking zealots, who will fight with sword and sword alone, completely shunning any form of long-ranged combat.

The Salarians were the complete opposite. Jondum's people believed in winning wars before they even begin by way of espionage, sabotage and guerilla warfare. They consider the very notion of openly declaring war to be insane and stupid as it gives your enemy an effective warning. Salarians are not above bypassing orbital defenses if they can, taking full advantage of enemy resources, and they most certainly prefer guns over swords. Granted, Jondum has an omni-blade, but he only uses it in close quarters where the gun isn't a preferable option.

For this reason, it's difficult for a Sangheili zealot and a Salarian STG operative to cooperate with one another on missions. The zealot would call the operative a coward, the operative would call the zealot an idiot, and both would likely be defeated by what is supposed to be their mutual enemy because they were too busy bickering with each other. And Jondum was not looking forward to all the inevitable bickering.

"Jondum Bau."

The Salarian looked over his shoulder and saw a Sangheili decked in ceremonial bronze-colored armor that was polished to a shine. "You're late." he said.

"My apologies." Arbiter Thel 'Vadam replied. "We encountered….traffic on the way to the port."

"Traffic?" Jondum asked as he left some credits from the bartender and stood up.

"After the Geth attacked Therum two weeks ago, a fleet was summoned here to help defend the colony from further attacks." Thel explained as he began leading the Spectre out of the lounge. A pair of Mgalekgolo guards standing by the exit bowed to the Arbiter as he passed through it.

"An entire fleet? Overdoing it, don't you think?" Jondum asked.

"Therum is very important to the Empire. It represents our strongest foothold in the Attican Traverse." the Arbiter explained as they continued down a corridor. "If we are to go hunting for Geth in the traverse, then we must guarantee that our foothold is secure."

"From the way you talk about it, it sounds like your people are getting ready for a long war." Jondum commented as they exited the building into what seemed to be a courtyard of some sort. It was then that a Sangheili in red armor jogged by, leading a team of four Sangheili in blue armor and sixteen Unggoy, all in tight formation.

"Isn't everyone?" Thel asked. "Saren's raid on Eden Prime did not go unnoticed by my people. The subsequent raids here and on Feros only confirmed our suspicions. Saren wants a war. And so, we shall give him one."

Jondum sighed. "I hope you're not talking about sending your fleets into the traverse. That could provoke _another _war, one with the Terminus Systems."

"Which is why we are, at the moment, only focusing on strengthening our defenses." Thel assured. "We've little idea where the soulless machines hide in the traverse. Without any leads, sending in fleets to wander the traverse in search of them would be a waste of time and resources."

"Speaking of leads, I may have one." Jondum said with a slight smile as he turned on his omni-tool and began tapping keys. "While I was waiting for you here, I was able to hack into a database terminal to see if the Empire knew anything."

Thel's eyes widened in shock. "You _broke _into our database?" he asked, aghast.

Jondum shrugged. "I'm a Spectre. Hacking terminals is part of the job."

"Enemy terminals are one thing. But hacking the terminals of allies?" Thel skeptically asked.

"I hack any terminal that isn't attended." Jondum said as he sifted through several documents. "Helps keep my skills sharp. Ah, here we go."

A document was holographically projected above the omni-tool. Thel examined it closely. "An Imperial patrol report?" he asked.

"Seems a Shipmaster 'Hrovash reported some unusual energy readings during a patrol of the Argos Rho Cluster." Jondum said. "He had particular concerns about the Hydra system but was recalled before his team could investigate further. No other patrols have been scheduled for that sector."

"You suspect Geth?" the Arbiter asked.

"I suspect a lead. It's better than nothing." the Spectre replied. With that, he turned off his omni-tool.

"Then with our course set, it is time we embark." Thel said. He looked up and saw an Imperial gunship, a phantom, approaching. "And here is our transport." The phantom slowed to a stop and opened its doors. Inside were two Mgalekgolo. The Arbiter hopped inside, followed closely by Jondum. With that, the doors closed and the phantom began its ascension.

"Cadavu. Bysoti. This is the Spectre who has requested our aid." the Arbiter said to the two Mgalekgolo. Jondum smiled at the two hulking aliens.

"Jondum Bau. Special Tactics and Recon. Pleasure to meet you both." he greeted.

The two aliens just stared at him. Or, they would if they had discernible eyes. He also noted unusual vibrations coming from the floor. Then he remembered how Mgalekgolo communicate and realized that one or both of them was growling at him. He turned to the Arbiter. "I don't think they like me."

"Take no offense." one of the Mgalekgolo said. 'Said' had a bit of a loose definition here though, as Jondum felt the vibrations through the ground and his translator interpreted those vibrations as words. "Bysoti here does not like anyone. Nothing personal."

The next ten minutes or so were spent in awkward silence. Well, 'awkward' may not be the right word. 'Anxious' would be better, as Jondum was fairly certain that the Mgalekgolo named Bysoti wanted to kill him. He kept his hand on his pistol, a Kessler MK-X that saw him through many dire situations like this one.

"We are approaching the _Glorious New Destiny_." the phantom's pilot announced. Jondum sighed in relief. The sooner he got out of this enclosed space with those two walking artillery pieces ready to snap at any second, the better. The Salarian walked through the passenger compartment and into the cockpit hoping to take a peak at the _Glorious New Destiny_, the ship that he would be serving on for the duration of this mission.

His eyes widened in shock, mixed in with a pinch of horror.

The green coloration and bulbous bow of the craft were fairly typical of Sangheili ship design, also the fact that it was big. Ironically, what made it so different from typical was the fact that it was big. _Very _big. Big by Sangheili standards, and that was saying a lot. It measured 28.960 kilometers in length, 11.447 kilometers in width, and 3.563 kilometers in height. Jondum knew those specifications because he memorized them. He memorized them because everyone in the STG was required to memorize the exact measurements of the single largest model of ship of any species anywhere in all the known galaxy.

Jondum turned towards Thel. "_That _is our ship?" he asked.

"One single ship. As per your request, Spectre." the Arbiter replied.

Jondum could feel vibrations again. It was both of the Mgalekgolo this time, and rather than growling, Jondum was very certain that they were laughing. The Salarian sighed as he covered his face with his palm.

….

**Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): SANGHEILI: CULTURE**

_Similar to Turians, the Sangheili are a warrior race with a long and proud history of combat. So much so that the formation of the Covenant, their longest-lasting government, was formed in the wake of their first inter-species war. However, the Sangheili take their warrior culture much further than the Turians do, particularly their sense of honor, which dictates the everyday lives of all Sangheili, especially those serving in the military._

_This code of honor is similar to Japanese Bushido, sharing concepts such as skill in combat, loyalty to master and clan, and views on death. Both belief systems romanticize death in battle as the most honorable way to die. If a warrior is captured alive, he has only two options: escape from his captors of his own volition, or commit ritualistic suicide. Furthermore, this warrior attitude once made the Sangheili extremely arrogant and even outright cruel towards species they viewed as 'inferior,' though they did display open respect and even admiration for fellow warrior races, even the Humans at the height of the Human-Covenant War._

_One superstitious quirk the Sangheili have is the literal interpretation that blood is equatable to honor. To bleed outside of battle is viewed as shameful. For this reason, the Sangheili are the only species in the known galaxy to openly look down on doctors, due to their practices making patients bleed outside of battle._

_Over the last century, the Sangheili have been experiencing a new cultural renaissance, mostly due to cultural influence from their former enemies the Humans. The Sangheili learned from the Humans values such as pragmatism and compassion. They treat their Unggoy comrades with more respect than they used to, and even doctors are not as looked down upon as they once were thanks to advances in medical technology (advances that are specifically designed to minimize blood loss during patient treatment) provided by the Humans. Nowhere is this cross-species cultural impact more apparent than in the self-titled Squidhead Movement, which embraces and celebrates many aspects of Human culture, particularly Human entertainment. Despite all these changes however, the Sangheili are still every bit the honorable warriors they have always been._

….

**Okay, so my update rate doesn't seem to be improving much. Still, I have an exciting announcement to make!**

**I have a tumblr!**

**This is something I've been wanting to do for a while. As long-time readers have no doubt noticed, I tend to go on tangents in the author's notes, and while I'm far from being the only author who does that, my ego feels that I've become a big enough literary god that I now warrant my own blog.**

**So what can watchers expect from my new tumblr? Well….**

**- You can ask me questions and I will do my best to answer them all!**

**- See me write the occasional essay on the inner workings of story-telling!**

**- Fan art! Assuming that there IS any Last Spartan fan art. And there isn't yet. Believe me, I've looked. So yeah, I guess this one doesn't count.**

**- Read me rant about things!**

**- Behind the scenes looks at the Last Spartan and other fanfics!**

**- Postings of Youtube videos that I think are amusing!**

**- And of course, you can watch me endure countless asks pestering me about when the next chapter will come out and also about how much this fanfic sucks, all while I die on the inside!**

**So head on down to DinoJake's Word-Works! ****Go google it! Or go check my profile. Hopefully there's a link there, but you know how FF's interface can be.**


	40. Never Stand Still

**Time to play another game of "What Took DinoJake So Long This Time?"**

**Well, one probable reason why this chapter took so long is because I've recently been busy with another nerdy passion of mine. A cursory glance at my tumblr blog should reveal what I'm talking about. It's hard to write about one thing when your mind is preoccupied with another thing. Frankly, you should all be happy that I was able to exercise enough self-restraint NOT to put a 300-foot-tall atomic dinosaur somewhere in this chapter.**

**Also Minecraft.**

….

1218 Hours, March 15th, 2683

_Glorious New Destiny_

Undisclosed Location in the Argos Rho Cluster

….

Jondum Bau rubbed his chin as he looked through the glass into the cavernous room below. His eyes darted to and fro across the room, observing all the different parts and mechanisms, analyzing them, as if trying to figure out how they work. He knew it was a futile effort. Bau was no physicist or engineer. Still, he couldn't really help it. After all, he was only Salarian.

The Spectre was currently deep in the bowels of the _Glorious New Destiny's _engineering decks, looking out on the super carrier's drive core. He watched as Huragok floated around the room checking thermal pipes, mending circuitry, tightening any loose screws, anything and everything one could imagine doing to keep the ship's goliath drive core in optimum operating condition. A few Sangheili wearing EVA suits observed the Huragok as they carried out their work, a few double-checking their adjustments to make sure.

By all rights, this shouldn't be possible. A thirty-kilometer-long ship simply cannot be driven by an eezo core. The amount of power and eezo needed to move a ship increases exponentially with the size of the ship. It's why no Citadel race has ever built a ship longer than one kilometer in length. Any larger would require a ridiculously large engine and a ridiculously large amount of element zero just to power it.

Of course, that was before the 314 races came along.

The 314 races were named such after Relay 314, the mass relay that a Turian patrol caught Human research ships tampering with one fateful day over twenty years ago. They hailed from the Forerunner Cluster, named such because it was the only place in all the galaxy one could find the remains of an ancient space-faring race that pre-dated even the Protheans; the Forerunners. Studies showed that the Forerunners were almost incomprehensibly advanced, capable of feats that would make, again, even a Prothean's head spin. The 314 races learned a great deal from studying whatever Forerunner artifacts they could dig up. One such artifact was something the Sangheili called the divine crystal.

Jondum Bau's eyes then darted towards the _Glorious New Destiny_'s divine crystal. He could see it floating in a glass chamber located above the drive core itself. Particles of element zero dust and jolts of electricity danced around the fist-sized blue crystal as it slowly spun in the chamber, the facets along its centerline folding and shifting like pieces of a puzzle.

Divine crystals were Forerunner artifacts with extremely unusual properties. Specifically, they had the ability to bend space and time. From what scientists on Sangheilios could tell, the Forerunners used the crystals to augment their already incredibly advanced slipspace drives. Scientists also found that, under the right conditions, the crystals can also be used to augment eezo drive cores, making the mass effect fields they generate more powerful and allowing behemoth ships like the Imperial Supercarrier to operate with a reasonably-sized drive core with little trouble.

Like many new technologies that came out of the Forerunner Cluster, the divine crystals were the subject of controversy. Some Citadel races expressed an interest in the crystals, wishing to study them themselves and utilize them in order to build larger ships and more powerful mass effect fields. However, the Sangheili were unwilling to share, mostly because all the crystals they had were only salvaged from Forerunner ruins and not actually manufactured by the Sangheili themselves. The only other species to have some amount of access to the crystals were the Sangheili's long-time allies the Humans, and even with them they were notably stingy. Jondum personally suspected that limited supply wasn't the only motivation the Sangheili had for refusing requests for more access to the crystals. The concessions made to the Council were no more popular on Sangheilios than they were on Earth. It may have been the Empire's idea of payback.

Deciding that he had seen enough of the _Destiny_'s engine, Jondum turned around and started walking through the corridor, heading back the way he came. He soon arrived at one of the ship's numerous elevators, the two Sangheili soldiers guarding the elevator door watching him wearily as he stepped into the thankfully empty elevator. He pressed the button corresponding to deck five, and the doors closed.

He sighed. Everyone on the ship had been giving him wary looks like that ever since he came aboard. He sensed that it wasn't just because he was a Salarian. It was probably also because he was a Spectre. The owner of the vessel, a Kaidon by the name of Vato Tyrannai, made clear to Jondum his disdain for Spectres on the first day, and that same disdain was no doubt carried by at least half of the crew of this massive ship. After four years of being a Spectre, having every other person you bump into not trust you was seriously getting old.

When the doors opened once again, Jondum headed out. He walked down the cavernous hallway, brightly lit with bluish-white lights on the ceiling and on the edges where the walls met the floor, and abound with activity as crew members walked to and from their duties or breaks. No small amount slowed down to spare a glance at the Spectre, putting Jondum ill at ease. He hated sticking out. He continued walking down the corridor with purpose.

By now Jondum knew that the Arbiter liked to occasionally visit the cargo bay as a means of relaxing whenever he had a few free moments.

….

'The spotlight,' as the Humans called it, lost its charms quickly. Thel didn't mind it much during his first few years as the Arbiter. His people were lost and in need of guidance, after all. Thel needed to be in the spotlight, because that is where he would get noticed, where his words were most likely to be heard. But as the decades went by, the babbling of Unggoy insisting that they were not worthy to be in the Arbiter's presence became grating, as did the constant bowing of younger Sangheili. Things have gotten especially bad in the last thirty years or so. He has become something of a celebrity in Citadel Space, swarms of cameras awaiting him every time he paid a visit to the Citadel.

The Arbiter did not mind being honored or even admired. Being publicized was far more detestable.

It was why he liked spots like this, a catwalk located high above the _Glorious New Destiny'_s massive cargo bay, high above the notice of the Sangheili below. Many of the younger Sangheili, Squidheads in particular, had taken to lounging in the cargo bay as a makeshift recreational area whenever they were off-duty. Thel enjoyed watching them, unseen high above, their antics subtly reminding him of his own rambunctious youth.

He spied one young minor and his squad of four Unggoy sitting around a crate that they were using for a table, the minor wearing not his helmet but rather an odd green visor of sorts. They each held cards in their hands, numbers and symbols, a large pile of chips in the center of the table. It was a Human game known as Poker, and though Thel was not terribly familiar with the rules, he did know that it was a game that demanded great cunning from its players. The minor laid down his hand, and three of the Unggoy immediately folded, seeing a battle that they could not win. The fourth Unggoy however, revealed his own hand, shocking the minor. With a giggle that Thel could hear even from his perch on high, the Unggoy collected the chips on the table.

It was moments like these that reminded Thel of just how much has changed in just half of a Sangheili lifetime. When he was a minor, it was unheard of for a Sangheili to fraternize with his Unggoy underlings in such a manner. After all, why would a master bother to befriend his slaves? Friend or no, the slave would still obey. These days however, the Unggoy are hardly slaves. The separatist Unggoy who fought with the Sangheili in the Great Schism were granted emancipation as reward, though most chose to stay in Sangheili space, not knowing where else to go. Most of the Unggoy that served on board this ship were descended from those very same freed slaves.

Thel turned around and saw a minor standing in front of his own Unggoy squad. This one was more in line with the minors of Thel's time as he held his head high and his hands behind him as he inspected each Unggoy with an appraising eye. His was the gaze of a commander making sure that his warriors were ready for battle. Failure to meet the commander's standards would result in dire consequences.

Though much like with everything else, the Squidheads put their own creative twist on the role of the stern leader.

"Alright, children." the minor began. "I know your shifts are over and you're all excited to go back to your bunks for some shut-eye, but first we're going to play a little game called 'answer the question correctly or run laps around the cargo bay until I tell you to stop.' You. Tippup." he said as he pointed to one of the Unggoy. "What is the average kill radius, in meters, of a type-1 antipersonnel grenade?"

"Three….point…eighty-nine?" Tippup tried to answer.

"Close. But no ciggie." the minor said. "You're going to run laps around the cargo bay until I tell you to stop." He turned to another Unggoy. "Didja think that was a little too mean?"

"…No?" the second Unggoy tried.

"Wrong. It damn sure was. You're running laps around the cargo bay until I tell you to stop. And Canyup, _can yup _answer me this; is it even possible to _give _the right answer in this game?"

"…No?" Canyup tried.

"Correct!" the minor replied with false excitement.

"Yes!" Canyup hissed with a celebratory fist pump.

"Unfortunately, you're still going to run laps around the cargo bay until I tell you to stop. My game. My rules. YAH YAH YAH!" the minor suddenly bellowed. With fear now powering their legs, the Unggoy took off and proceeded to run laps around the cargo bay, as per the minor's instructions as the minor watched. Thel nodded in approval. Though unusual, this squidhead's methods for keeping the Unggoy in line were effective. Discipline is an important part of any military, after all.

"There you are." said a voice. Thel turned and saw the Salarian Spectre Jondum Bau approaching him.

"I take it you looked all over?" Thel asked.

"No. This was the first place I thought to look." Jondum replied.

"It would seem that I need to find a new place to hide from you." Thel responded.

Unlike many others on the ship, Thel harbored no ill will towards Spectres. It was mostly because their role was not all that dissimilar to his own. He did not even hold their relative lack of accountability against them. Their power was like a potent blade; it is the wielder, not the blade itself, that determines whether the blade does good or ill. As far as Jondum Bau goes, he is about as honorable as Salarians get, meaning that though some of his actions still border on heresy, he does it all for the galaxy's greater good and would most likely not drive a dagger into Thel's back, at least not of his own volition.

"You suited up?" Jondum asked. "We'll be reaching the Hydra system in just a few minutes."

Thel nodded and turned around and splayed out his arms, displaying his weapons to the Spectre. A type-56 carbine on his back, a type-25 plasma rifle on his right thigh, and the hilt to his energy sword on his left thigh. His usual load out. He turned back around. "You?" he asked.

Jondum turned around and jerked a thumb to the assault rifle and sniper rifle on his back. "HMWA Master X, and HMWSR Master X." he said.

"And the shotgun?" Thel asked as he eyed the odd piece of white equipment on Jondum's lower back.

"Venom Shotgun. An old favorite from back when I was in STG." Jondum replied. "It's not really a shotgun, by the way. We just called it that because it's commonly stored in the shotgun slot. It's actually more like a grenade launcher." The Spectre turned back to face Thel.

"Sounds heavy-handed for a Salarian weapon." Thel noted.

"It is." Jondum replied with a shrug. "It's mostly issued to extraction teams whenever undercover agents get compromised and need a speedy exit strategy, most often while under heavy enemy fire. However, I find it much more useful as a Spectre. I find myself on the front lines a lot more often than I did in STG, so a weapon that can efficiently blow things up is much more useful."

The Salarian whipped out his pistol, a Kessler X. "Plus I have Dellina here."

"Dellina?" Thel asked.

"My pistol. First weapon I ever bought as a Spectre. Named it after a dalatrass I had a successful reproduction contract with. Very charming woman. She liked painting in her spare time." Jondum explained.

"We are coming out of FTL." a voice announced over the ship's intercom system. "All hands stand by."

"Come." Thel said as he began walking down the catwalk. "We will be needed on the bridge."

….

The _Glorious New Destiny _had already come out of FTL on the edge of the Hydra system by the time Thel and Jondum arrived on the bridge. When they entered, the shipmaster's chair swiveled, revealing Vato Tyrannai. Like every other Sangheili Kaidon, Tyrannai was a high-ranked commander in the Imperial military. Specifically, he was a supreme commander. His golden armor glinting and shining brightly under the bridge's fluorescent lights, he regarded the Arbiter and the Spectre with appraising eyes.

"Arbiter." he regarded Thel with a nod. He turned to Jondum. "And the Spectre." he added half-heartedly. He turned back to the Thel. "We have just arrived in the Hydra system and already we have stumbled upon something most interesting."

"What is it?" Thel asked.

Vato turned to one of the comm specialists. He nodded. The comm specialist nodded back and pressed a few buttons. A message began playing over the bridge's com system. It was plagued by static, obscuring many words and syllables, but enough went through for Thel to make sense of it.

"General distress call…._Sacred Angel _medical transport…..critical system failure…..losing power…..emergency landing…..Argos…..communications failing…all sys-…..life support…emergency transpond-…won't last….please hurry."

"The message is on a loop." the com specialist said.

"How long has it been playing?" Thel asked.

"Hard to say." the com specialist replied.

"Remember the patrol report." Jondum reminded Thel. "Shipmaster 'Hrovash detected unusual energy readings in this system, and now we're detecting a distress signal."

Thel nodded, knowing what Jondum was implying. He turned to Tyrannai. "This is no coincidence."

"I do not doubt that." Tyrannai replied. "The signal originates from the surface of the planet Metgos."

"Then that is where we must go." Thel resolutely said.

"Tread lightly, Arbiter." Tyrannai warned. "Metgos is a furnace world so hot your blood would boil in your veins without sufficient protection. I will have rangers accompany you to your destination. May our lords guide your hand."

….

Three phantoms were deployed from the _Glorious New Destiny_ to the surface of Metgos, each carrying a lance of Sangheili rangers and their Vorcha underlings. Unggoy were highly impractical for deployment to a pressure cooker world like Metgos; a single hole in their methane packs may be all it takes to set them alight.

Accompanying the Arbiter as always was the Dama pair, Cadavu and Bysoti. They had to wear EVA armor, which was much the same as their regular armor except with high-grade armor plates covering the parts where their worms were normally visible. The two Mgalekgolo shifted uncomfortably where they stood. Neither of them liked having to wear EVA armor, as it was not as flexible as the kind they were normally used to. Jondum Bau was also there, donned in his own EVA armor. Truthfully, the Arbiter wasn't sure how well he would do in a fight. On the one hand, he was a Spectre, one of the finest soldiers in all the galaxy. On the other hand, he was a Salarian, a species that prefers fighting with a veiled dagger rather than a glistening sword.

Lining the seats of their phantom were roughly half a dozen Sangheili rangers, all wearing the EVA suits they were famous for. Painted across each of their shoulder pads was the ranger mantra; _Glory and honor guide our ascension_. Also riding with them, unfortunately, were a dozen Vorcha. The Vorcha troopers were fully decked out in pale blue EVA armor, and were equipped with type-55 directed energy rifles, better known as the storm rifle, a weapon infamous for its use in the Sangheili Civil War. While the Sangheili sat stoically, ready for combat, the Vorcha were much twitchier by contrast. More than one had bouncing feet and shaking hands. They were eager for battle.

Technically, this was a rescue operation, a mission to provide aid to a crew in desperate need of it. However, the Arbiter was no fool. They originally came to this system under the assumption that they may find, at the very least, a clue to what the Geth were plotting. Upon coming here, the first thing they find is a distress signal. There was no doubt in the Arbiter's mind that the Geth had some kind of hand in this.

"This is Phantom-Acroli. We have a visual on the surface." the pilot reported. Thel walked through the phantom's passenger cabin and into the cockpit to get a good look himself. The surface of Metgos was hellish, the ground made up of black and dark red dirt, the sky above covered in a thick blanket of black clouds. The three phantoms continued their descent into a rocky valley amidst the Gods-forsaken hills. Eventually, a small white shape stuck out agains the blackish ground.

"Phantom-Acroli here, we have a visual on the target." the phantom pilot reported. "Transponder signal is coming from that escape pod."

"Escape pod?" one of the other phantom pilots asked. "I thought we were looking for a whole medical ship."

"I've got a bad feeling about this….." the other pilot replied.

"Alright. Phantom-Bekan and Phantom-Chavam, run a sweep of the area." the Arbiter's phantom pilot ordered. "We'll head in to investigate-"

His sentence was lost as the whole phantom suddenly shook, knocked to the side as if struck. "Contacts!" Cried one of the other phantom pilots. "It's a trap!"

"Bekan and Chavam, break off approach run and regroup!" the pilot ordered. Numerous screens in the cockpit began flashing red as an alarm started going off. Thel could not help but notice that the phantom was quickly approaching the ground. "Acroli has been hit! Acroli has been hit! Preparing for crash landing!"

The pilot turned to the Arbiter. "Might wanna buckle up, your holiness." the Arbiter nodded and rushed back to his seat in the passenger compartment.

"Brace yourselves!" the Arbiter bellowed as he secured himself in his seat. Everyone held on tight, uttering prayers, as the phantom went down.

Were it not for their safety harnesses, everyone would've surely been tossed about as the phantom met Metgos's surface in a great crash. The Arbiter could hear the high-pitched screech of scraping metal as the ship skidded across the planet's surface, no doubt leaving a scar in its wake. The screech eventually slowed to a stop, as did the ship itself. A red light began slowly turning on and off in the passenger compartment.

"Is everyone alright?" Thel asked.

"I think so." one of the rangers replied.

"What the wort just hit us?" another asked.

It was then that the door to the cock pit open. The pilot stepped through. "Okay, we're in trouble folks." he began. "For one, our comrades are being pursued by bogies. Geth rocket drones, from what they've told me."

"Geth…." growled one of the Vorcha. "Vile, unholy machines! They will pay for this insult to our honor!"

"Worting hell, we walked right into an ambush didn't we?" one of the rangers asked.

"Looks that way." the pilot replied with a nod. "Also, just checked the motion trackers. We got a few dozen Geth ground troops coming our way, and until Phantoms Bekan and Chavam shake off those drones to come assist, we're on our own."

"So now what?" a ranger asked.

It was then that the Arbiter undid his safety harness and stood. "We fight." he growled.

"Phantom's crashed adjacent to a hillside. Left hatch is blocked." the pilot added.

"Then open the right hatch. Warriors; prepare for battle!" the Arbiter barked as he took out his carbine. The Sangheili rangers and the Vorcha undid their harnesses and readied their own weapons. The dama pair warmed up their fuel rod guns, their spines already crackling with biotic energy. Jondum stood up as well, making ready his assault rifle. "The dama pair shall be the first ones out. They will punch holes in the enemy lines. The rest of us shall provide covering fire." the Arbiter instructed. As everyone nodded, the two Mgalekgolo got into position just in front of the hatch while the pilot brought up his omni-tool.

"Now!" the Arbiter shouted.

With the press of a button on the pilot's omni-tool, the phantom's right hatch popped open. As planned, Cadavu and Bysoti were the first ones out. They turned to their right and saw Geth soldiers marching towards them, their weapons already raised. The Mgalekgolo raised their shields to block the incoming fire and fought back with their fuel rod guns. As the Geth troopers exploded and flew into the air from the explosions, the rangers and the Vorcha, followed by Jondum and the Arbiter, all poured out of the phantom and took cover behind some nearby boulders. Once they were in cover, they all immediately began providing the dame pair with support fire.

The Arbiter quickly noticed something off in the distance; a pair of Geth armatures were marching towards their position. "Cadavu! Bysoti!" the Arbiter yelled over the Imperial battle net. "Destroy those armatures before they get close enough to target us!"

"Your will be done!" Cadavu replied. Blue auras briefly surrounded the two Mgalekgolo before they disappeared, reappearing in front of one of the armatures, smashing into each of its front legs. The walker immediately faltered, falling to the ground without its front legs to support it. Bysoti then pounced on walker's head and pounded it to pieces with his shield while Cadavu used the pointed end of his own shield to gut the armature's torso.

The other armature was fifty feet to the right of the downed one's position. Registering the Mgalekgolo pair as a priority threat, it turned towards them, two Geth rocket troopers trotting up to its side to assist. One rocket trooper that is, as one of them fell to the ground with a large hole neatly drilled into its torso. The other rocket trooper tried to track where the shot came from, but it too fell before it could even get a shot off.

"Just took out the two rocket troopers." Jondum said over the battle net from his perch atop the phantom itself, his cloak active to conceal his position but his sniper rifle cooling down. "Shields around that remaining armature are strong though. Doubt I can one-shot it. Cadavu, Bysoti, you two might want to take cover while it's charging its main cannon."

Cadavu and Bysoti took cover. Of course, the Mgalekgolo's definition of 'taking cover' is to raise its shield and stand its ground. The two bond brothers stood side by side, raised their shields, and dug their boots into Metgos's steaming dirt. Their spines crackled with biotic energy once again, this time wrapping themselves in biotic barriers. The armature fired its main cannon, the pulse blast exploding on impact with the bond brothers, kicking up huge amounts of dust.

Fuel rod blasts roared forth from the dust cloud, impacting against the armature's kinetic barriers, draining them in seconds. The two Mgalekgolo charged out of the dust, no worse for wear, their cannons belching out fuel rods at the armature. Eventually the onslaught proved too much for the walker as its armor boiled away, eventually exploding before its carcass fell.

"Incoming!" a ranger yelled. A rocket flew through the air towards the phantom. Jondum barely had time to jump off before the rocket impacted and detonated. By then, his cloak had run out, sending the Salarian scrambling into cover right next to the Arbiter. The Arbiter peeked his head around the boulder, then pulled back to avoid incoming pulse fire.

"More Geth troopers are coming!" he shouted.

"I know how to fix that!" yelled one of the rangers. "All Vorcha! Activate over shields! Then, _sic 'em_!" he yelled over the battle net.

With that, each Vorcha trooper there tapped a command into their omni-tools and were suddenly wrapped in overshields. The Vorcha then charged out of cover towards the Geth, their rifles blazing plasma. Many of the Geth in front fell instantly, but there were more in the back that kept firing their pulse rifles. Unexpectedly, they then put away their weapons and snapped on crude-looking plasma blades from their wrists, two curved blades on each wrist that vaguely resembled claws. With howls of bloodlust, they charged at the Geth, their overshields successfully absorbing most of the incoming pulse fire. The Geth made sounds that almost resembled screeches of pain as they were lacerated by the Vorcha, the ground stained by the stark white hue of Geth hydraulic fluid.

It was then a looming shape appeared over the far-off hill and flew towards them; a Geth dropship. "Pull back! All Vorcha, pull back!" the ranger commanded over the battle net. Having no desire to get shot, the Vorcha retreated from their slaughter and made a break back to the rocks, a few of them even running on all fours. One unlucky Vorcha wasn't fast enough and was killed by a pulse blast, kicking up dirt and a flying corpse. The ship then dropped off yet more Geth troopers as well as one of the much dreaded Geth colossi.

After it completed its drop however, it suddenly came under fire. The Arbiter heard the familiar hums of phantom engines and looked up. Their two comrade phantoms had arrived and were firing on the Geth ship with their plasma cannons. "This is Phantom-Bekan and Phantom-Chavam." one of the phantom pilots reported over the battle net. "Sorry we took so long, Acroli. Took us a while to shake off those rocket drones. We miss anything?"

"Just a whole lotta Geth killin'." the Acroli pilot replied. "We could use some support here though. That colossus in particular looks nasty."

"Can do." the phantom pilot replied. The Geth dropship, realizing that it was outnumbered, retreated back over the hill from whence it came. "Chavam, drop off your payload by the Arbiter's position then chase that sucker down. I'll deliver a special surprise to that colossus."

"Affirmative." the pilot of Phantom-Chavam replied before lowering to about fifteen feet off the ground and opening its hatch doors, allowing more rangers and Vorcha to hop out. With its payload delivered, it sped off in pursuit of the Geth ship. Phantom-Bekan approached the Geth colossus and opened fire on it, lending Chavam covering fire as it disappeared over the far-off hill.

Bekan's side-hatch opened, revealing a Vorcha manning a plasma turret. With a snarl, he opened fire on the colossus, supplementing the phantom's own plasma cannon. Standing off to the side of the hatch with his energy sword at the ready was a zealot. The colossus tried to return fire, but the phantom's pilot knew better than to hold still. It circled around the colossus like a vakir bird circling a lone kooshim before swooping in for the final blow. Eventually, the colossus's shields flickered, then died.

It was then that the zealot's body was suddenly wrapped in a blue aura. He leapt out of the phantom, even as it was still fifty feet in the air, and disappeared out of existence. When he reappeared, he did so by crashing right into the colossus's face, or at least what passed for a face with Geth. With a mighty roar that was heard even through his helmet, he plunged his sword deep into the single eye of the colossus.

The zealot then pulled out his blade and skillfully flipped his body onto the top of the colossus's head like an acrobat. He then slid down the back of the walker's neck and onto its back. Some Geth troopers tried to fire at him, but his biotic barrier protected him from the shots. Once he was on the creature's back, he used his sword to slash open a wound, exposing the machine's inner workings. He pulled out his plasma grenade, primed it, dropped it in, and finally hopped off the goliath's back. The colossus shook and stuttered as blue smoke and blue fire erupted from the automaton's back in a huge blast. Lifeless, it collapsed.

The Geth would not take the loss of their most powerful machine lightly. As most of the Geth platoon continued advancing towards the crashed phantom's position, several stayed behind to close in on the zealot. The zealot would prove to be no easy target, however. He threw his energy sword at one of the troopers, the blade slicing the Geth in half at the waist as it spun horizontally, the blade mysteriously emanating a blue aura of its own as it flew. With another gesture, the zealot knocked down three more Geth with a biotic shockwave. Two more approached from the front, but they too were cut in half by the flying energy sword as it flew around in a circle, coming back to the zealot like a biotic boomerang. Turning towards another Geth, this one trying to sneak up on him, he pointed his sword at the synthetic, then pulled it into the sword with a biotic pull, impaling the Geth. After kicking the dead body off, the zealot turned and saw a Geth rocket trooper aiming its rocket launcher at him. Thinking quickly, the zealot biotically charged at the Geth, knocking it down. He then stuck his blade into the Geth's torso, ending its stuttering and screeches.

The Arbiter took in the situation. With the zealot and the other phantom acting as a good anvil, Thel was in a good spot to bring down the hammer. He grabbed his sword hilt and snapped it on, the energy sword crackling with energy, demanding blood. He held it aloft so that all may see. "This is the Arbiter, the Blade of the Holy Empire!" he shouted over the battle net. "We have the Geth surrounded! Their greatest weapon has been felled! Now is the time to strike back, brothers! Let fly a volley of tech grenades, then charge!"

Obeying the Arbiter's orders, the rangers threw every last tech grenade they had left, disabling the majority of the Geth's shields and even outright killing a few, EMP's being far more deadly to synthetics than to organics. They then abandoned their cover and charged forward, guns ablaze. The Geth tried to fire back, but with their shields fully charged, the Sangheili and Vorcha could not be stopped. By contrast, the Geth troopers quickly fell one by one, their shields drained from the grenade volley. In addition, the phantom far above them fired upon the Geth, further thinning their numbers. Not to mention the biotic zealot attacking them from the rear. With so many warriors attacking from all sides, the synthetics' fate was sealed.

The Arbiter was the first one to charge into the mass of Geth, running past the ones that had already fell and into the ones that were lucky enough to still be standing, yet unlucky enough to face down an Arbiter. With an upwards slash, the Arbiter impaled a Geth and held it aloft in the air for a second, before throwing it off his blade with a mighty swing, sending the body flying into a compatriot. With a downward slash, the Arbiter decapitated another Geth, which then proceeded to panic like a chicken in the same predicament. He then booted the headless Geth to the ground with a mighty kick. The Arbiter then turned to another approaching trooper and swung his sword in a wide, horizontal slash. He sliced the Geth's pulse rifle in twain, sliced off both arms at the elbow, and opened a gash in the machine's belly from which white hydraulic fluid gushed forth. He took out his plasma rifle and fired it into the Geth's torso, silencing its pathetic screams. One by one, the Geth fell to his blade. The ones who did not fall to him fell to his brothers either on the ground or in the phantom.

Finally, the Arbiter plunged his sword deep into the torso of the last Geth trooper on the field. When he drew it back out, the Geth fell. He then looked around at all the fallen machines, bits and pieces and puddles of white liquid everywhere.

The Arbiter roared to the sky. The other soldiers joined him. They were victorious this day.

….

Several more phantoms were sent down by the _Glorious New Destiny _to sweep the area in case there were more Geth around, which there likely was. That Geth dropship had to have come from somewhere, after all. The search phantoms found nothing yet, but they would keep searching. The Sangheili would not rest until all traces of the synthetic infestation were wiped clean.

As for the Arbiter's group, they had begun piling the Geth bodies in one spot. He watched from afar as a pair of rangers were carrying a Geth body over to the pile, one holding it by its hands and the other by its feet. Suddenly, the one holding the Geth's feet yelped and dropped his load. "Holy wort!" he shouted as he whipped out his plasma pistol and fired several bolts into the corpse. This prompted the other ranger to drop his half of the load as well and jog away, not wanting to catch any of the plasma.

"The hell, man?!" the ranger who ran out of the way demanded.

"It twitched!" cried the one who panicked.

"I didn't see it twitch."

"Well I did! I say once we get all these bodies together in one pile, we set the pile on fire. You know, just to make _absolutely sure _they're dead."

"They're synthetics, 'Nolarom. Not undead."

"Same thing! They're heartless, soulless, and they're the main bad guys in so manypost-apocalypse vids that it's seriously getting old! Plus, that stuttering noise they make is just plain creepy! I'm gonna have nightmares about that shit all week, man."

"Don't worry, 'Nolarom. When we get back to the ship, I'll take you down to the galley and get you a big tall glass of shut the wort up. My treat. Now pick up its damn feet and get back to work!"

The Arbiter shook his head. Those rangers were young, and were probably just promoted into the ranks they hold now. They were want to argue over the littlest things, as was the way of youth. He looked over to their still-crashed phantom. The pilot was standing outside, under orders to wait for Huragok to arrive and repair the dropship. Most of the Vorcha were inside, a ceremonial burial sheet covered over the body of the one unlucky Vorcha who was blasted by the Geth dropship, the heads of his still-living compatriots low in mourning.

The Arbiter nodded his approval. He was skeptical of the Vorcha at first; had been for a long time. His opinion hadn't changed much to be honest. They were brawlers more than warriors. Still, they did their part today. And seeing the Vorcha praying to the Forerunners to guide their fallen friend's soul into paradise made Thel think that perhaps Tyrannai really can mold them into something honorable, or at least useful. The Sangheili did the same for the Unggoy and Mgalekgolo many centuries ago.

"Arbiter." came Jondum's voice over a private battle net channel. "You might want to head down to the transponder. There's a bit of a situation going on here."

"I am on my way." the Arbiter replied. With that, he began walking towards where the transponder was. Once the thrill of victory wore off, Thel was disheartened when he realized that this so-called lead was essentially a dead-end. The medical ship _Sacred Angel _had, most likely, crashed on this planet a long time ago. The Geth merely salvaged the ship's distress beacon and used it to lure well-meaning organics to their doom.

According to Jondum Bau, this may have even been a 'false lead' of sorts. A lying clue created by Saren to keep others from finding his _real _trail. There could very well be countless other false leads like this one scattered across the Attican Traverse. The notion made Thel's blood boil. Such deception and dishonor. Saren was almost as bad as Cerberus.

_Almost_. Say what you will of Saren, but according to the Eletania report, he at least has enough courage and honor to occasionally fight alongside his own warriors. More than could be said of the Beast.

Thel walked over to the small gully where two Sangheili were bickering, three Vorcha awkwardly watching the argument from the gully's edge. A ranger was standing by the transponder, specifically between it and a zealot. Thel recognized the zealot as the biotic who slew the colossus during the day's battle. He joined Jondum on the edge of the gully as he overheard the argument.

"It's been tainted by the vile hands of the Geth!" the zealot argued. "What you're proposing is _heresy_!"

"I'm proposing we use it to our advantage and track down the Geth." the ranger replied. "If that makes me a heretic, then brand me with the mark of shame."

"What is going on here?" the Arbiter asked as he walked down into the gully. The ranger and the zealot turned towards the Arbiter and saluted.

"I caught this ranger in the act of heresy, your holiness." the zealot darkly explained, casting a dirty look at the ranger in question.

"Heresy, you say?" the Arbiter asked as he examined the accused with a critical eye. "What is the nature of this heresy?"

"Examination." the ranger defended. "Ranger Minor 'Zkra Macham, sir." he introduced himself with another salute. "I was taking a look at this transponder and found something interesting. The Geth have actually _modified _it. It's not just a distress beacon anymore. It's also a radio that taps into a cluster-wide comm relay. It looks like they've been up to a lot of shady things in this sector. I'm thinking we can use it to find other Geth bases in the Argos Rho cluster. Maybe even find a clue that'll get us closer to Halo."

"Which is heresy!" the zealot insisted. "It is Geth technology! It is unclean! We should destroy it on principal! To use it ourselves would be to make our hands filthy!"

"Look I got news for you, sword-jockey." 'Zkra replied. "Sometimes, you _have _to get your hands filthy to get the job done. And if you don't like it, you're free to wash your hands after the fact, but if defeating our enemy means getting our hands dirty, then just slather me up in mud and call be Bubba."

"Wretched squidheads, you're all alike!" the zealot continued to rage. "All that Human entertainment has poisoned your minds! It made you forget the color of your own blood!"

"Hey, I remember the color of my blood just fine." 'Zkra argued as he crossed his arms over his chest. "It's a nice healthy shade of purple. Some say it's orchid or amethyst, but I've always thought it was a nice shade of floral lavender, myself."

The zealot roared in anger.

"Are you gonna bark all day little doggy, or are you gonna bite?" 'Zkra quipped.

"Enough! Both of you!" the Arbiter bellowed, silencing the bickering. He then walked up to the transponder and examined it himself for a few moments. "As distasteful as using this to our advantage may be, it is necessary. A phantom carrying several Huragok are on their way to repair the crashed phantom. I will see about getting one to examine this transponder. Once it has served its purpose, it will be destroyed." He turned to the two young Sangheili. "Am I clear?"

Neither one daring to argue with the Arbiter, they nodded. 'Zkra climbed out of the gully towards the crashed phantom. The Vorcha walked off in the opposite direction. Jondum also walked away. Only the zealot remained bold enough to stay in the Arbiter's presence. "Are you sure of this, your holiness?"

"As disrespectful as he was to you, 'Zkra had a point." Thel said. "When an opportunity presents itself, it would be foolish not to seize it."

The zealot sighed. "Foolish. I humbly ask that you never again use that word in my presence. I have heard it used against me far too often for my liking."

"…What is your name, swordsman?" Thel asked.

The zealot puffed out his chest. "Jorik Zerimar." he proudly replied.

"How old are you?" Thel asked. Jorik was a biotic, which meant he had to be a very young zealot, given how recent a discovery biotics were for the Sangheili.

"Thirty cycles." he replied, confirming Thel's suspicion that he was very young indeed. "I know I am very young your holiness, but I am strong."

"I noticed." Thel replied. "I saw you in the battle today. You are very skilled with both your blade and your biotics."

"Thank you, Arbiter." Jorik said with a bow.

"Why would anyone call you foolish in spite of such strength and skill?" Thel asked, deciding to end the small talk and strike at the heart of the issue.

Jorik huffed. "It's the damnable squidheads." he growled. "They mock me for staying true to our people's roots, as they mock all zealots. 'Sword-jockies,' they call us. They see the honor that we must live our lives by each day as an _inconvenience_. They don't understand that it is not something to be tossed aside."

It was then that Thel and Jorik heard something off in the distance. Music. They looked and saw a couple of rangers setting up a radio. "You sure we'd be able to pick up a rock station all the way out here?" one asked.

"Sure, man! I custom-made this radio myself!" the other replied.

"That actually makes me even _more _skeptical about it working." quipped the first.

"Oh wait! I got somethin'! I got somethin'!" the other said. He turned the dial and sure enough, noise faintly resembling music started playing. "Oh wort man, oh wort! FRANKENSTEIN JOE!"

"And it's off the new album FLAMING PICKAXE! 'Nolarom, I will never doubt you again!" The two Sangheili then began to head-bang to the flip music.

Jorik shook his head as he took in the sight. "It didn't always used to be this way." he said. "My maternal uncle told me and my brothers of our race's history. Our holy crusades against heresy and filth. Now look at us." he said as he gestured to the head banging squid heads. "The old ways are dying."

Thel sighed. This was a subject that he had thought about more than once. "If there's one thing I have learned in my time as the Arbiter, it is that life never stands still." he said. "Times change. And if we are to survive and prosper, then we must change with them. It is often better to embrace that change rather than fear or deny it."

The two squidheads continued to headbang. "I will still never understand the appeal of this 'Frankenstein Joe.'" Jorik said.

"With that, I will wholeheartedly agree." Thel said with a nod.

"Arbiter, this is Phantom-Delinam. We've got a situation over here." a phantom pilot reported over the battle net. Thel sighed. An Arbiter's work is never done.

"What is it? More Geth?" he asked.

"….Not _exactly_." the phantom pilot replied.

….

Phantom-Delinam came and picked up the Arbiter, as well as Jondum Bau who was also interested in what the phantom had discovered. The dropship flew for a few miles until arriving at the foot of another hill. The phantom lowered its altitude and the Arbiter and Spectre hopped out once it was a reasonable distance off the ground. They walked towards the perimeter that the rangers and Vorcha had set up, supervised by a zealot.

The lance of Imperial soldiers stood in a semi-circle around a small group of LOKI mechs, a YMIR mech, and what looked like a vehicle with a drill on the front, all of which were shut down. Next to the vehicle was a neatly drilled hole in the hill, filled with an odd silver-white metal. One of the rangers approached the two. "We found her in the middle of mining out this thorium deposit. She's not a licensed miner either. She won't say, but we're guessing she's a scavenger from the Terminus Systems."

"She?" Thel asked, looking around and seeing nothing but machines.

"You weren't told?" the ranger asked. Thel shook his head. The ranger chuckled and turned to Jondum, oddly enough. "_You _in particular are in for a shock, Spectre." He then turned to the drill vehicle. "Alright, come on out!" He kept his hand on his plasma pistol. "Nice and easy!"

The door to the vehicle opened and distinctly female Human shape climbed out. She wore a hardsuit, but wore no helmet, not even in the unholy heat of this hellish planet. As she slowly walked closer, the Arbiter and the Spectre could see why. It was because she didn't really need to wear a helmet. Her skin and short-cut, slightly spiky hair were made from silver meta and black metal respectively, while her eyes glowed green. She was an android, likely 'piloted' by a Smart AI from the Terminus Systems.

She came to a stop in front of the Arbiter and Spectre, and crossed her arms. "An AI." Thel observed.

"An Arbiter." the AI replied in an odd accent. British, if Thel had to guess. "Looks like I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Indeed you are." Jondum sternly said. "As an AI, you're taking an awful risk being this close to Council Space. In fact, there happens to be a Council-owned military training facility in this very cluster."

"You gonna rat me out?" the AI asked.

"Am I going to have to?" the Spectre asked back.

The android rolled her eyes. "Look mate, I'm not hurting anyone." she gestured to the mechs. "My boys and I were just here to mine some thorium."

"Illegally." Jondum pointed out. "You're a scavenger."

"I prefer 'resourceful entrepreneur.'" the machine woman replied.

"What do you even want with thorium?" the ranger asked.

"To sell it. Doy." the AI replied.

"What use is money to an AI?" the ranger further questioned. She looked at the Sangheili and leaned on one leg with a hand on her hips.

"You think these gynoid bodies are cheap?" she asked.

The Arbiter shook his head. He turned to the Spectre. "We should probably let her go. I doubt she has anything to do with the Geth."

"Geth?" she asked. "What's this about Geth?"

"There was, and could still be, a Geth presence on this planet." Thel explained. "Did you not hear the battle just a few miles away?"

"I thought that was just Eclipse and the Blue Suns trying to kill each other over a mercury deposit again." the android replied. "But if this planet is a Geth hotspot, maybe I _oughta_ pack up and head home."

"Don't count on that." Jondum said. "An artificial intelligence illegally mining on the outskirts of Council Space? I've got half a mind to arrest you."

"Arrest me?" the AI asked as she looked at Jondum up and down. "Who do you think you are? A bloody Spectre?"

Jondum just paused as he crossed his arms.

"…Oh, _hell_." the gynoid said as she smacked her hand against her forehead.

It was then that a thought suddenly occurred to Thel. As he told Jorik earlier; when an opportunity presents itself, it would be foolish not to seize it. "Excuse us for a moment." he said as he took Jondum aside and walked a dozen feet away from the AI. "I have an idea. I think we would do well to recruit the AI." he told the Spectre over a private com channel.

"….I'm sorry, you're going to have to repeat that. For a minute, I could've sworn that you suggested that we invite into a high-priority mission an _artificial intelligence_." Jondum replied.

"Hear me, Spectre." Thel began. "The Master Chief's exploits on Halo are well-documented, but so too were the exploits of the AI Cortana. It was she who was truly able to decipher the secrets of Halo. We may need to bring a similar AI of our own, should the ring guard yet more secrets."

"Even if I would agree with that, which I don't, Cortana was a highly sophisticated infiltration and cyber-warfare AI." Jondum pointed out. "Our new friend here is just a scavenger looking for ill-gotten goods. She's the synthetic equivalent of a hobo digging through trash for a half-eaten sandwich. We don't even know if she's _capable _of interacting with Forerunner technology the way Cortana did."

"You are right. We don't." Thel replied. "Come. Let us find out." With that, he walked back to the android, Jondum shaking his head as he followed. "AI." he said.

"Priscilla, please. Friends call me Priss." the AI replied.

"Very well. Priss."

"Don't call me Priss. We're not friends."

"….How familiar are you with Forerunner technology?" Thel asked.

"Funny question." Priscilla said as she crossed her arms. "I've bought and sold some Forerunner stuff on Omega's black market."

"Have you studied any of it?" Thel asked.

"Sure I have." Priscilla replied. "I'd be a piss-poor trader if I didn't know my product like the back of my hand."

"How well are your translation and interpretation programs?"

"Top of the line. Gotta be if you wanna do as much business as I do."

"Electronic warfare?"

"That, and this body knows how to shoot a gun. I'd pull one out right now, but I'm surrounded by Sangheili and Vorcha with guns. Doesn't really seem like a good idea at the moment."

"Software infiltration?"

"….Yeah, I've done some corporate espionage on Illium once or twice, why are you asking me all these questions?" Priscilla asked, suddenly suspicious of the Arbiter's motives.

Thel turned to Jondum. Jondum looked back. The Salarian sighed. "You're going to do whatever you want regardless of what I say, aren't you?" he asked over the private comm line.

"Most likely." Thel admitted.

"Well, get it over with then." Jondum said.

Thel turned back to android. "Priscilla. The Spectre and I are on an important mission. We are searching for a Forerunner installation. However, the Geth are searching for it as well, and it is imperative that we find it before they do. An AI with your talents would be of great aid to our cause. Would you join us?"

"….Depends. What's in it for me?" she asked. Thel was taken aback by the AI's blunt question. "Oh, what? You didn't think I'd help you for free, did you? 'Enterprising entrepreneur,' remember?"

"Well, I for one was thinking that in exchange for helping us, I _wouldn't _arrest you." Jondum said.

"Well, that's a good start, but I'm gonna need more than that." Priscilla replied. "How about this; if and when we find the Forerunner installation, I get a few trinkets to take to market."

"Heresy!" the ranger barked.

"No physical artifacts." Thel said. "However, you are free to make personal copies of any Forerunner data we find and use it as you see fit." The Arbiter hoped that would be enough to assure her cooperation. The promise of new data to an AI was like the promise of meat to a starving varren.

"Tempting." Priscilla replied as she took a few nanoseconds to think it over. "I suppose I can work with that. And I'm free to go as soon as the job's done?"

"Indeed you would be." The Arbiter replied.

"But I for one had better not catch you in Council space again." Jondum sternly said.

"Yeah, yeah." Priscilla waved off Jondum, dismissing his threats. "Alright then, Arbiter. You've got yourself an artificial intelligence."

….

"Well well well, what do we have here." Priscilla said as she touched the hologram of an ice-covered planet. She was no longer in her mech body and was currently 'plugged in' to the _Glorious New Destiny_'s navigational computer in the CIC. Thel, Jondum, and Kaidon Tyrannai all surrounded the massive hologram. Priscilla's holographic form had green skin with code flowing on it much like Cortana's, along with short black hair. Unlike Cortana however, Priscilla's avatar wore clothes. She wore a black leather jacket, black boots and fingerless gloves, and even black eyeshadow. The only piece of clothing that wasn't black was her jeans, which were instead a very dark green. According to the squidheads, she was dressed like something they call a 'punk rock chick.'

"I've tapped into the Geth comm network and let me tell you right now boys, there's a lot of chatter on that planet right there." Priscilla said as she pointed to the ice planet in question. "Tornaq. A miserable little snow-ball that is pretty much the only planet in a system on the distant edge of the cluster. Turian Hierarchy surveyed it a few centuries back, deemed it not worth the rock it was made from, and no one has payed attention to it since."

"And you say the Geth are clustered on that planet?" Tyrannai asked.

"Possibly. Could even be their main base of operations in the Argos Rho if we're lucky." Priscilla said. "But main base or not, there's definitely _something _about that world they're real keen on."

"We shall see why the Geth find it so important." Tyrannai ominously said. He turned to the chief navigator. "Plot course for Tornaq in the Irin system."

"We're not too far from the Phoenix system." Jondum pointed out. "It wouldn't hurt to call Pinnacle Station to see if we can get backup. It's probable that they'll have at least one high-level special operations team training there willing to help out."

"No." Tyrannai said with a firm shake of his head. "Their assistance will not be necessary. This is our fight, and our fight alone."

The Kaidon then turned back towards the various computer operators in the CIC. "We shall go to the home of the Geth, break down their doors, and plant our flag in their corpses!" The Kaidon earned a few roars and snarls of approval from the other Sangheili, ready for yet more battle.

Tyrannai turned to Priscilla. "Thank you for your aid, AI. You may withdraw from my ship now."

"I dunno. I kinda like it in here." Priscilla said as she looked around the room, her fingers on her chin. "Not really designed to accommodate an AI, but I -"

"_You may withdraw from my ship now_." Tyrannai repeated, much more firmly this time.

"Okay okay. I'm withdrawing." Priscilla said before her hologram disappeared. Her then once-inactive body, oddly enough wearing the same sort of clothes as her avatar, whirred back to life. The mech then looked around. "So where do I stay?"

"Arbiter. Find a place for her to stay." Tyrannai dismissively ordered. "And take the Spectre with you."

The Arbiter nodded in reply and lead Jondum and Priscilla out of the CIC and into a corridor, the door shutting behind them. Tyrannai looked at the holographic image of the planet. Text appeared next to it, the codex entry. According to the codex, the AI spoke truth. Tornaq was an unremarkable ice planet with little more than a scant few cobalt deposits that had long since been mined out by the Turians and then deemed no longer useful.

So why was this world so important to the Geth? Was it because it was so ideally remote and out of the way that it would make a perfect base of operations? Most likely. But Tyrannai had other suspicions. He knew now that Forerunner installations could in fact be found outside the Forerunner Cluster, provided one knew where to look.

Perhaps, unlike the Turians, the Geth dug deep enough to find something truly worthwhile…..

….

**Codex Entry (Technology): Divine Crystals**

_The Fall of Reach was one of the most devastating defeats suffered by the UNSC during the Human-Covenant War, not only because of the massive loss of life and the loss of a major Human military installation, but also because it dealt a heavy blow to Human morale back on Earth. While the Covenant invaded the planet to wipe out the Human populace as they always have, their other objective was to seek out and secure various Forerunner artifacts from the surface of Reach. One of those artifacts was something the Covenant called the Fragment of Divinity._

_The Fragment of Divinity was an artifact that seemingly spat in the eye of known physics of the time. It was a crystal that demonstrated a capability of warping energy, gravity, and even space-time. The artifact was thought lost after Spartans secured the artifact and escaped Reach with it. However, shards of the broken crystal were found amongst the ruins of the then-recently destroyed Covenant battle station _Unyielding Hierophant. _The shards were then stored in a vault deep in the Covenant Capital _High Charity._ When _High Charity _fell to the Flood, the shards were thought lost with it. However, a single Sangheili soldier was able to break into the vault during the outbreak of the Great Schism and escape the station with the crystal._

_In the years following the war, the Sangheili studied the remains of the crystal carefully, and even found additional crystals in Forerunner ruins during what was later called the "Forerunner Ruin Rush," a period immediately following the war when Humans and Sangheili were in tense competition with one another for Forerunner artifacts. It was only in the last thirty years that they have truly made headway in the study of these crystals._

_During the early 2650's, the Sangheili Empire was experimenting with then-newly discovered element zero, exposing it to what they were now calling a divine crystal. Upon initial exposure, element zero had little to no visible effect on the crystal's functions. However, when subjected to an electrical current, the crystal releases dark energy which can be manipulated into a mass effect field, just as eezo itself does. However, the crystal's properties warp the dark energy that is released, strengthening the resulting mass effect field._

_One of the weaknesses of eezo drive cores is that they put a limit on how large a ship can be; regular cores can only move a ship roughly one kilometer in length. This is because the amount of eezo and power required for a drive increases exponentially to the mass being moved. However, divine crystals virtually do away with such limitations, a property that the Sangheili take full advantage of by installing divine crystals into the drive cores of their infamous super carriers and other gargantuan starships. The reason this technology is currently not more widespread across the galaxy is due to the extreme rarity of divine crystals, which have thus far only been located in Forerunner ruins. The Sangheili Empire currently maintain a tight stranglehold on access to this resource, which has been a point of diplomatic tension between the Sangheili and the Council Races._

…_._

**Yeah, I came up with the divine crystal concept after a fan pointed out to me in a PM how, according to Mass Effect canon, a thirty-kilometer long ship that runs on eezo shouldn't be physically possible. After realizing that I had written myself into a corner and subsequently spending no small amount of time tearing my hair out and crying myself to sleep as I lamented my inadequacies both as a writer and as a human being, I remembered the crystal from **_**Halo: First Strike**_**, and how it had surprisingly little impact on the games in the grand scheme of things, which no doubt disappointed some Halo fans. So I decided to bring it back for this fanfic.**

**See 343? I pulled the trigger on that Chekhov's Gun so you wouldn't have to. You can thank me later.**

**And yes, I know what you're thinking, and you're right. It is an **_**extremely **_**blatant ass-pull. But hey, I've been writing this fanfic for three years. I have a few things planned for the future, but more often than not, I make this crap up as I go along.**

**Also, new original character! Everybody meet Priscilla! Shout-out to Zgamer for coming up with the name when I couldn't come up with a good one. And yeah, she's got her own sexy mech body ala EDI from Mass Effect 3. Some people are going to call bullshit on that, citing the rarity of such androids in the Mass Effect universe, but how rare are they really? From playable Infiltration AI's in ME3 multiplayer to mention of Organic-on-Synthetic porn in the Citadel DLC, there are a few hints in Mass Effect 3 that gynoids might not be so uncommon. Hell, the reason Joker was able to smuggle EDI onto the Citadel was because he was able to pass her off as a synthetic assistant, which implies that synthetic assistants are a thing, possibly even sexy female ones. Make of that what you will. Throw in the fact that, in the TLS universe, AI's are still totally legit in the Terminus Systems and are practically their own race in a few ways, and of course mech bodies would be fairly common amongst AI's.**

**That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.**

**All-in-all, writing this chapter was a bit of a roller coaster ride. I'll give details later on my tumblr later this week. Right now, I'm kinda drained.**

**Speaking of my tumblr, those who follow it should be well aware that I have something very special planned this Halloween.**

**Don't touch that dial.**


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